ute his
proposition. "While working in the tunnel the idea came to me that if we
carried the digging through successfully, one of us might be on the
outside, and Master Lord fail to discover the fact even if he paid us a
visit."

"How do you make that out?" Harvey asked incredulously.

"Suppose, for instance, Luke ventured outside through the passageway, if
so be we can hit upon a plan of preventing the end of the tunnel from
being seen on the surface. Now then, it should not be a very difficult
job for us to rig up a dummy which would have somewhat the appearance of
a lad lying on the bed as if asleep. Then we will say that you, Harvey,
lie down beside the figure, pretending to be asleep. Master Lord comes;
finds Archie and me sitting here at the table; glances at the bed, sees
Harvey's face, and also what appears to be Luke's head. Think you he
would have any suspicion that matters were wrong?"

"But suppose he did?" I insisted, determined to understand all the
possibilities of Hiram's scheme; but not allowing that it might be put
through successfully.

"Well, we will suppose his suspicions are aroused, and he goes over to
the bed to make certain Luke is there. How much worse off are we in case
he discovers the trick? We know him to be our enemy, regardless of the
confidence which our people may put in him, and it is also a fact that
we are bound to keep our eyes open for the first move he shall make,
because the end of this matter, from his point of view, is our capture
by the Britishers when the time comes that all his purposes are served."

"Well, what then?" I demanded impatiently. "Once he has made the
discovery that I am outside, can you prevent him raising an alarm, and
thus bringing the lobster backs upon those who are inside?"

"Aye, that seems to me a very simple matter," Hiram replied. "The moment
our double-faced friend went toward the dummy to make certain he had
been tricked, our plan would be to fall upon him, and I'll eat my head
if the three of us can't truss him up like a fowl ready for the
roasting, however much of a fight he may make."

"Well, and if we have him prisoner, what then?"

"We'll simply hold him here until we get ready to leave town, and I'm
thinking that won't be any difficult matter," Hiram said laughingly.
"With him bound hand and foot, and one of us ready to plump a gag in his
mouth if he makes too much noise in the way of calling for assistance,
it seems to me he would be