"If there was any way of getting inside one of these stacks of
props," he said, "we could keep a perfect watch. I could get in
now, for example; you relieve me tomorrow night; I relieve you the
next night, and so on. Nothing could be unloaded that we wouldn't
see. But," he added regretfully, "I doubt even if we could get
inside that we should be hidden. Besides, they might take a notion
to load the props up."

"Afraid that is hardly the scheme," Hilliard answered, then went
on excitedly: "But, there's that barrel! Perhaps we could get
into that."

"The barrel! That's the ticket." Merriman was excited in his turn.
"That is, if it has a lid."

They retraced their steps. With the tank they did not trouble; it
was a galvanized iron box with the lid riveted on, and moreover was
full of oil; but the barrel looked feasible.

It was an exceptionally large cask or butt, with a lid which
projected over its upper rim and which entirely protected the
interior from view. It was placed in the corner beside the right
hand gable of the shed, that is, the opposite end of the manager's
rooms, and the wooden down spout from the roof passed in through a
slot cut in the edge of the lid. A more ideal position for an
observation post could hardly have been selected.

"Try to lift the lid," whispered Hilliard.

They found it was merely laid on the rim, clats nailed on below