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the ignition wires, William. I’ll attend to the tyres.”
    Two minutes later, the Lowland was out of commission. She could not be driven: until her tyres were inflated, she could not be moved by hand. And until she was out of the way, nothing could pass.
    “Well, that’s that,” said Mansel. “We’ve shut the stable door. We may as well go on and have a word with the thieves. Or shall we stay here and receive them? They’re sure to come back.”
    “We’d better go on,” I said.
    “Palin forward,” said Mansel. “He knows the way.”
    Bell went on, to see if the drawbridge was raised. We waited for the flash of his torch, before descending the road to the valley below. This gave to the postern-steps, by which it seemed certain the thieves would attempt their entry. What was much more important, it led to the running water, the absence of which would show that the sluice was down.
    After a moment or two, Bell’s torch winked twice, to say that the drawbridge was up.
    It was now not quite so dark, for soon the moon would rise: this helped us very much, for the last thing we wanted to do was to show a light, while we were taking the way that the thieves had used. The glow of Bell’s torch was directed away from the castle, and so should not have been seen, except by ourselves.
    So we made our way down to the meadows below the castle itself, moving fairly slowly, that Bell might have time to rejoin us before we left the road.
    Sure enough, at the edge of the meadows was standing a second car, which Palin was ready to swear was the one which Friar had used when he stayed at the inn. No one was with the car, so we took the contact-breaker and let her be.
    Then Palin led the way to the water. But this was gushing as usual out of the woods.
    “Good,” said Mansel. “Tell me about this sluice.”
    “It’s a slab of stone,” said Palin “that runs in a groove. Where it is, I don’t know. Stout boards would do in its place: but they’d have to fit.”
    “That may be their trouble,” said Mansel, “fitting the boards. I take it you explained this to Friar?”
    “More or less,” sighed Palin. “This was the castle’s supply in ancient days. He said he’d seen the same system once before: but there had been a means of cutting it off. Not to be beaten, I instantly spilled the beans.”
    And, with his words, the flow of the water diminished, but did not stop.
    “That’s right,” said Mansel, calmly. “They’re getting warm. Let’s go up and watch them, shall we? As I understand the position, they’ve got some way to go yet.”
    I could not see Palin’s face, but I saw him take off his hat and wipe his brow.
    We climbed the postern-steps, and there, at their head, was standing an excellent ladder, to take us up to the ramparts, hanging above. And a terrace window was open, to let us into the house.
    There Palin took charge: and, after what seemed a long time, he led us down into a dungeon, where men were talking quietly and showing a light.
    There were, in fact, two dungeons, the inner of which was larger and lower down than the first. It was there that the men were busy, and, standing at the head of the steps which led to the second dungeon out of the first, we could see what they were doing and hear what they said.
    There were, in all, four men; and one, with his back to us, was sitting upon a stool. On his knees he had a small searchlight, with which he illumined the scene.
    It was a sinister place, with a well in its floor. Its walls were of living rock, but in one, some five feet up, were signs of masonry. I had the impression of a doorway that had been closed: and then I knew that that was the way to the chamber in which the gems were concealed. Above this was gaping the conduit by which the water had passed; the stones and the mortar were reeking with damp and with slime, and the well in the floor was directly in line with the conduit some five feet away from the wall.
    The stones were roughly