“I wonder why Frank don’t send some one out to act as a spy,” said Charles.

“I guess he’s afraid that he would be taken prisoner.”

We may as well state here (and we should have done so before) that it had been agreed that if one side could catch any of the other acting as spies, they were at liberty to hold them as prisoners until the race was over, and that the prisoner should, if required, give his captors all the information possible relative to the movements and plans of his party, and they could also require him to lend assistance in carrying out their own.  The prisoner, of course, was allowed the privilege of escaping, if he could.

This was the reason why the smugglers had not sent out any spies; and, if the coast-guards had been aware that Frank and William were hidden away in the willows, they could easily have captured them, and, according to the agreement, obliged them to divulge all their plans.

“Well,” said Charles, “we don’t want any prisoners now, for we know all their plans; but I wanted to catch Frank this morning, for I was afraid he would beat us.  If he should find out that this trick was discovered, he would plan another in five minutes.  I guess we had better remain where we are to-night,” he continued, “and, at half-past two o’clock, we will pull out into the river, and blockade the creek.  All we have to do is to take care of the Alert, and let the other boats do as they please.  But we had better be off, or the smugglers may slip out and make some of us prisoners.”

And the spies departed as cautiously and quickly as they had come.

As soon as they had gone, the smugglers arose from their places of concealment, and stole into the house, and acquainted the other boys with the success of their stratagem.

After enjoying a hearty laugh at the expense of the coast-guards, led by George and Harry, they ran up stairs into the “large chamber,” a room containing three beds, and they were soon snug between the sheets.  But sleep was, for a long time, out of the question; they laughed and talked until their jaws ached, and the hands of the old clock that stood in the room pointed to twelve; then they allowed their tired tongues to rest, and lay for a long time, each occupied with his own thoughts, and, finally, one after the other fell asleep.

The hours passed on, and nothing was heard but their gentle breathing.  Suddenly Harry, who always talked in his sleep when any thing exciting was going on, turned over in bed with a jerk, and began to mutter some unintelligible words.  All at once, raising himself to a sitting posture, he sang out, at the top of his voice,

“Starboard your helm there, George—­starboard your helm; bring her around quick.  The Alert can show as clean a pair of heels as any boat about the village.”

In an instant the other boys were awake, and Harry continued to shout his directions, until several hearty thumps on the back caused him to change his tune.