our bayonet, and stand
over these fellows. If either opens his mouth, shove your bayonet into
it. Varnum, make it your business to watch over Check and see to it that
he doesn't get the noose from behind, as all of us did once."

While speaking Lieutenant Overton was fastening on his own recovered
revolver and cartridge box.

"Now, you other four men," he concluded, "come with me. Silence and soft
steps must be our watchword. Unless we have the worst sort of evil luck
we'll find out what's going on at the water front."

The distance was not great. Hal did not make the mistake of moving his
abridged command of four men down the road. Instead they kept to the
woods or behind bushes as much as they could.

As he came within sight of the water Lieutenant Hal held up his hand--a
signal to halt. Then he peered through the darkness.

"Just about as I had supposed," he whispered. "Guarez has a tug in at
the pier--a steam craft that will move out, as it came in, without
lights."

"Queer, sir, that some of the other men haven't acted--they must have
seen the tug come in."

"But I am supposed to be on duty in this neighborhood, and so are you
men as sentries," whispered Lieutenant Overton. "Our other men, up the
river and down, must imagine that we have taken care of the tug, if the
craft needed such attention, and so the other men are holding their own
posts according to their orders. Now, come on, men. Crouch low and make
no noise. If you see me run for the pier follow without waiting for
orders."

The military party succeeded in getting within a hundred and fifty yards
of the land end of the pier. From here Hal could make out the figures of
men lifting the last two cases to the deck of the tug.

At the same instant a man on the pier caught sight of the advancing
soldiers. With a shrill whistle the fellow leaped to the deck of the
tug, calling out to some one.

Without loss of a second Lieutenant Hal sprinted forward, dashing on to
the pier.

In the engine room of the tug a single bell sounded--the moving signal.
The last two cases had just been dumped on the deck, and two men leaped
ashore, rushing for the shore-ends of the hawsers.

"Lift that hawser and I'll shoot you!" warned Lieutenant Hal.

"Who in blazes are _you_?" roared a deep, powerful voice from the deck
of the tug.

"I'll ask the same question of you, sir," shot back Hal, running up.

"I'm the master of this tug, and _I_ give the orders here!"