Finally the little man spoke.
"You came to my aid just in time," he said, "and I thank you. But for you
I should have been killed."
"Killed!" exclaimed Hal. "And why would they have killed you?"
"Because," said the little man, "I myself picked the pocket of a man whom one of their number was trailing."
"I see," said Chester, manifesting no surprise, for he was well aware that the street Arab had taken them for his own kind. To have betrayed surprise would have been to invite suspicion.
"Now," said the little man, "we shall have to hide. The police will be scouring the neighborhood. Have you a refuge handy?"
"No," said Hal.
"Then you shall come with me." He hesitated a moment, then added: "Which do you love best, your country or gold?"
Hal took a long chance.
"Gold," he said briefly.