"But I am supposed to be on duty in this neighborhood, and so are you men as sentries," whispered Lieutenant Overton. "Our other men, up the river and down, must imagine that we have taken care of the tug, if the craft needed such attention, and so the other men are holding their own posts according to their orders. Now, come on, men. Crouch low and make no noise. If you see me run for the pier follow without waiting for orders."
The military party succeeded in getting within a hundred and fifty yards of the land end of the pier. From here Hal could make out the figures of men lifting the last two cases to the deck of the tug.
At the same instant a man on the pier caught sight of the advancing soldiers. With a shrill whistle the fellow leaped to the deck of the tug, calling out to some one.
Without loss of a second Lieutenant Hal sprinted forward, dashing on to the pier.
In the engine room of the tug a single bell sounded—the moving signal. The last two cases had just been dumped on the deck, and two men leaped ashore, rushing for the shore-ends of the hawsers.
"Lift that hawser and I'll shoot you!" warned Lieutenant Hal.
"Who in blazes are you?" roared a deep, powerful voice from the deck of the tug.
"I'll ask the same question of you, sir," shot back Hal, running up.
"I'm the master of this tug, and I give the orders here!"
"I'm an officer of the United States Army, and your boat is undoubtedly to be seized by the government," Hal retorted.