hat you could tell me."

"He's a sneak!" declared Dick, vehemently. "I suppose you know that Harry's
an American, don't you?"

"Yes, but that's nothing against him."

"Of course it isn't! But this Graves is the biggest and oldest chap in our
troop--he isn't in our patrol. And he thought that if any of us were going
to be chosen for special service, he ought to have the first chance. So
when they picked Harry and me, he began talking about Harry's being an
American. He tried to act as if he thought it wasn't safe for anyone who
wasn't English to be picked out!"

"It looks as if he had acted on that idea, too, doesn't it, then? It seems
to me that he has followed you down here, just to get a chance to play some
trick on you. He got those papers, you see. And I fancy you'll be blamed
for losing them."

"How did he know we were here?" said Dick, suddenly. "That's what I'd like
to know!"

"Yes, it would be a good thing to find that out," said Jack, thoughtfully.
"Well, it will be hard to do. But we might find out how he got here. I know
this village and the country all around here pretty well. And Gaffer Hodge
will know, if anyone does. He's the most curious man in the world. Come
on--we'll see what he has to say."

"Who is he?" asked Dick, as they began to walk briskly toward the village.

"You went through the village this afternoon, didn't you? Didn't you see a
very old man with white hair and a stick beside him, sitting in a doorway
next to the little shop by the Red Dog?"

"Yes."

"That's Gaffer Hodge. He's the oldest man in these parts. He can remember
the Crimean War and--oh, everything! He must be over a hundred years old.
And he watches everyone who comes in. If a stranger is in the village he's
never happy until he knows all about him. He was awfully worried to-day
about you and Harry, I heard," explained Jack.

Dick laughed heartily.

"Well, I do hope he can tell us something about Graves. The sneak! I
certainly hope Harry catches up to him. Do you think he can?"

"Well, he might, if he was lucky. He said the cycle he was riding was
faster than the other one. But of course it would be very hard to tell just
which way to go. If Graves knew there was a chance that he might be
followed he ought to be able to give anyone who was even a mile behind the
slip."

"Of course it's at night and that makes it harder for Harry."

"Yes, I suppose it does. In the daytime Harry could find people to tell him
whi