The first voice was quickly followed by another, and unable to see the speakers, he crept forward as silently as possible on his hands and knees, until he found himself at the end of the passage, and where it opened out into a large underground room—larger than he could see by the feeble light of the resinous pine knot. Near the flickering torch, sitting squat upon the rocky floor, he was amazed to behold four men, evidently holding an earnest conversation. Ordinarily, the postboy would have made his presence known at once, but the words already being spoken by one of the quartet were of such a nature that he checked the salutation upon his lips and listened, with bated breath, to the following dialogue: "The first person to get out of the way is that postboy." The speaker was a man above medium height, judging as he sat upon the bottom of the cavern, and he spoke in a deep, guttural tone. He had small, snakish eyes, and the most prominent feature of his round face was a heavy, reddish mustache. He had the appearance of being a military person. All of the four were strangers to Little Snap, who was listening intently for the next utterance. The following speaker was a short, thickset man, with a closely-trimmed gray beard, who said: "That won't be a big job." "I ain't so sure o' it," remarked a third, younger than the others, and smaller of stature. "Shag says——" A warning gesture from the first spokesman caused him to stop with his sentence unfinished. "No names are allowed to be spoken here," growled he who was evidently leader of the party. "Don't fergit yourself again, man." "I reckon we air safe 'nough here," retorted the other. "I'll warrant there ain't a soul nearer'n Hollow Tree." "Never can be too careful; rocks have ears sometimes. I could have sworn I heard a man's voice not ten minutes ago. But it's you we came here to hear talk," nodding his head toward the last person of the quartet, who had remained quiet so far. "What have you learned?" "Much that is mighty pleasing," replied the last, in a tone which caused the concealed postboy to start with surprise. "Hark! I thought I heard some move!" exclaimed the chief, half starting to his feet. "'Pears to me ye air mighty skeery to-day," growled he who had accidentally spoken the name of the postmaster at Hollow Tree. Little Snap crouched closer to the rock in breathless silence, fearful he had betrayed himself. When he had become reassured that such was not the case, he scrutinized the fourth speaker more closely, but without discovering a familiar feature. In the midst of his speculative study the man said: