Part 21 (1/2)

”What shall I do?” thought the watcher; ”lie down and let theo on?”

He decided on the latter course, and finding that he was in a lane bounded by stone walls, he went on, pausing fro followed

This proved to be the case, the people getting nearer and nearer, and it was a curious experience to hear the whispering of voices and tra on the side turf,” said Archy to himself, as he kept on, to find after a few minutes that the stone wall on his left had ceased, but he could feel that the road went on, and heard the people cooing up hill; then the slope grew steeper, and he paused again to listen

He was quite right They were co on steadily, and he knew that there must be twenty or thirty people; but he could hear no horses now

”They've stopped at the foot of this steep place,” he thought, as he went on and on, the people still advancing fast, and all at once, as he went on, a sudden thought ran through hiuessed at least the direction in which he was going in the black darkness; he was once h up the hill, and the place of deposit of the soodsof misery that he could not have explained carasped the position, and he wished that he had never undertaken the task he had in hand

For it seeentle of slers, and have lent their out-of-the-way house to be a depository for the contraband goods

”Oh, it's impossible,” he said to his so that nobody would come in there to search”

”The artful rascal!” said Archy to hi better now that he had put this interpretation upon the proceedings; and, knowing his way better now, and thinking of the dog the while, he hurried on, and had nearly reached the house,the abundant shrubs which surrounded it till the s those he was tracking was chased away by his hearing a voice just before hiht, father Here they come”

Archy stopped short, as he felt his position The far for the men to act as carriers

”What shall I do?” he asked hiht mean discovery In fact, if the last speaker had taken a step forward, he must have detected the spy's presence

There was no tiht Archy stood for a moruff voice, he dropped down, and began to crawl ao in and get the lanthorns now”

At that ht up by a wall, over which he passed his hands, to find that he was directly after touching iron bars close to the ground

It was so, and then, as he crouched there, he was conscious of a peculiar odour, which told him not only that this was a cellar, but one in which brandy was stored

Again he felt a strange sensation of o had been hidden, and it must be in the cellar of the Hoze, and not in the wood

He wished he had not made the discovery now, and felt ready to retreat, for it would be horrible to have to tell the lieutenant, giving him such information as would lead to the arrest of the tall, careworn ely that day

All at once he was conscious of a gleaht before hi blue flaan to turn yellow and illureat stacks of kegs and bales, reaching nearly froht shone out through the grated , by which he was on hands and knees, and feeling that he would be at once recognised if his face was seen, he crept on under the wall a few yards, and lay flat listening, as he wished that there was tinal for help, to capture the slers and their store

An i before he could reach the cutter, even if a boat aiting; beside which, he felt that he did not want to tell all he had seen, for if he did, ould folloith respect to those he had spoken with that day?

”Now, my lads, in with you,” cried a faet down to the carts, and we shall get all snug before daylight”

A an to tra every moment to be seen