not see that we could undertake anything alone, and in any case,
you see, it would be a serious matter to lay an accusation against
a prominent citizen who is actually a captain of one of the bands."

Upon the following day they took their post again at the window,
and after some hours watching saw three bolts fired from the next
window. Watching intently, they saw the two first fall into the
moat. They could not see where the other fell; but as there was no
splash in the water, they concluded that it had fallen beyond it,
and in a minute they saw a soldier again advance from the battery,
pick up something at the edge of the water, raise his arm, and
retire. That evening when Captain Vere returned from the ramparts
they informed him of what they had observed.

"Doubtless it is an act of treachery," he said, "and this merchant
is communicating with the enemy. At the same time what you have
seen, although convincing evidence to me, is scarce enough for me
to denounce him. Doubtless he does not write these letters until
he is ready to fire them off, and were he arrested in his house
or on his way to the warehouse we might fail to find proofs of his
guilt, and naught but ill feeling would be caused among his friends.
No, whatever we do we must do cautiously. Have you thought of any
plan by which we might catch him in the act?"

"If two or three men could be introduced into his warehouse,
and concealed in the room from which he fires, they might succeed
in catching him in the act, Captain Vere; but the room may be an
empty one without any place whatever where they could be hidden,
and unless they were actually in the room they would be of little
good, for he would have time, if he heard footsteps, to thrust any