tically.

"Gee! do you suppose there were German spies around?" ejaculated
Randy.

"I am sure there were," went on the old dockman.

"But I supposed your guards kept all strangers away from the plant,"
said Jack.

"They were supposed to. But you know how it is. Those fellows aren't
on the watch all the time. They get tired of their job, and sometimes
they take it easy. Besides that, it is rather easy to reach the plant
from the water front, and it is almost equally easy to come down
through the woods on the hill behind the place. Of course, we've got a
big wire fence up all around, but it doesn't take much to go through
that if a fellow has a good pair of wire cutters."

"Did you ever see anybody suspicious?"

"Lots of times. But, of course, most of the people who looked
suspicious proved to be nothing but men who had an idle curiosity
regarding the plant. But I saw some fellows around there two weeks
ago and again a couple of days ago, and they looked mighty suspicious
to me. They were a couple of heavy-set looking fellows, with strong
German faces, and I heard 'em at a distance talking in a language that
I'm pretty sure was German."

"Why didn't you report this to the guard?"

"I did. But they were a lot of fresh young fellows, and they only
laughed at me and said I was too suspicious," grumbled Jed Kessler.
"But that is where I made a mistake. I should have gone right to the
offices and reported to the head boss."

"Do you suppose you'd know those fellows again if you saw them?"
questioned Jack.

"I think I would--although I'm not sure. They were both fellows with
heavy black hair and heavy black beards, and one of them walked with
his right foot kind of turned out."

"You certainly ought to report this as soon as possible," declared the
oldest Rover boy. "It may furnish the authorities with an important
clue. If I were you, I would get into communication with one of your
bosses without delay."

Leaving the old man and his rowboat at the dock, the four Rovers rowed
up the lake once more in the direction of the Clearwater Hall
boathouse. By this time the explosions at the shell-loading plant had
practically ceased, and only a small amount of smoke was now coming
from the ruins.

When the Rovers arrived at the boathouse connected with the girls'
school, they found that Mary and Martha had come down to the place,
accompanied by a number of the other girls. All had heard that the
Rovers had taken the r