Followed by the two foreigners and their American friend, Chief Trask proceeded down the stairs while Bruce descended by the more convenient and speedy pole. “You’d better come out here on the sidewalk where you won’t be in the way of the horses,” he remarked, and then, just as Baron Bernstoff had taken his watch from his pocket, the quick sharp notes of the gong fell upon their ears. It was a real alarm that had come in this time and the astounded foreigners saw the horses spring to their places and the driver climb to the seat, while the chief bounded into his wagon. Then the harness was fastened on both vehicles with a succession of sharp clicks. Charley Weyman, whose practiced eye had already told him that everything was securely fastened, detached the reins from the ceiling with a sudden pull and the next moment the big truck with Brophy at the wheel swept out of the quarters, just as the chief’s wagon dashed through the other door, turned sharply to the right, knocking the Honorable Rupert Doubter over on his back as it went by, and was nearly at the corner of the street when the Englishman picked himself up from the gutter and said to his friend. “Did you get the beggars’ time?” “I forgot all about it,” rejoined the other with a sheepish glance at his watch, “but it’s just ten seconds now so they must have got off in about six.” “Ten seconds!” cried Mr. Doubter, true to his convictions to the very last, “Why your watch must have stopped, man. I’ve been lying on my back in the road there nearly five minutes I am sure. But what’s become of our friend Dewsnap?” “He’s gone to the fire,” replied the Baron. “I saw him waving his hand to us as he went by.” It was indeed true, Mr. Dewsnap, the most confirmed fire crank in New York, had mounted the truck along with the men and dashed off to the scene of action, leaving his two friends to shift for themselves. [Illustration: “Did you get the beggars’ time?”—_Page 136_.] CHAPTER XVI. There came a time when Chief Trask began to entertain doubts in regard to his young protege. He noticed that Bruce was growing absent-minded and seemed to have lost, if not interest in his work, at least a great deal of the enthusiasm which he had shown during his first weeks at the quarters. The boy would stand in the doorway, leaning on the chains, for an hour at a time, gazing vacantly into the street, and when called he would respond in an indolent, careless fashion, which was very different from the quick way which had previously characterized him. The chief watched him narrowly these days, and often asked himself if it were possible that he could be to blame for Bruce’s retrogression.