"
"Up yonder?" Tom queried.
"You're strangers, hey?" the man repeated.
"We're on a hike," said Tom. "We're on our way to Haverstraw and----"
"Thence," prompted Pee-wee.
"_Thence_ to Catskill Landing, and _thence_ to Leeds and _thence_ to
Black Lake," mocked Roy.
"Well, thar's a big prison up yonder," said the man.
"Oh, Sing Sing?" Roy asked. "I never thought of that."
"Feller scaled the wall last night an' made off in a boat."
The boys were silent. They had not realized how close they were to
Ossining, and the thought of the great prison whose name they had often
heard mentioned sobered them a little; the mere suggestion of one of its
inmates scaling its frowning wall on such a night and setting forth in
an open boat, perhaps lurking near their very shelter, cast a shadow
over them.
"Are you--are you _sure_ you didn't see a--a crouching shadow when you
went out and got that gasoline can last night?" Pee-wee stammered.
"I'm sorry," said Roy, "but I didn't see one crouching shadow."
"His boat might have upset in the storm," Tom suggested. "The wind even
shook this boat; it must have been pretty rough out on the river."
"Like enough," said the man. "Des'pret characters'll take des'pret
chances."
"What did he do?" Pee-wee asked, his imagination thoroughly aroused.
"Dunno," said the man. "Burglary, like enough. Well now, you youngsters
have had yer shelter'n the wust o' the storm's over. It's goin' ter keep
right on steady like this till after full moon, an' the ole shebang'll
be floppin' roun' the marsh like enough on full moon tide.
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