Page:Barbour--For the freedom from the seas.djvu/229

 the jaded horses were again started and the whole outfit disappeared behind the gates and was lost to view of the curious observers.

Five minutes later a police sergeant was very gingerly introducing a chisel under the lid of the nearest box on the wagon. The sergeant looked a bit unhappy, for Martin had innocently advanced the possibility of the cases containing explosives. At each creak of the lid as it gave to the chisel the sergeant flinched perceptibly, while his companion edged the fraction of an inch further into the background. Even Nelson was none too certain that a nice collection of dynamite bombs or guncotton cylinders was not about to reward their investigation. But in a moment a sigh of relief went up from the sergeant as the lid gave at last and revealed the contents.

"Guns!" he said devoutly.

And guns they were, rifles, neatly nested between much excelsior, with wicked looking sights of a sort quite new to either of the boys if not to the sergeant.

"Ha! German! Cast your eye on 'em, Flaherty! What do you say to that now? The murderin' rapscallions! 'Twas to Dublin they was meanin' to take 'em, mark my words, Flaherty! It's the Sinn Feiners as landed 'em and 204