"_Voila_!"
Chester got to his feet quickly, and, with Hal, dashed forward upon the
heels of the little man. Round corner after corner, through dark streets
and darker alleys he ran, the lads following close behind him. Finally,
out of breath and tired of limb and body, he came to a halt in a secluded
spot in a narrow street.
The lads came to a stop beside him. The man immediately threw himself
upon the ground and the lads did likewise. Here, for a few moments, all
lay silent, panting.
Finally the little man spoke.
"You came to my aid just in time," he said, "and I thank you. But for you
I should have been killed."
"Killed!" exclaimed Hal. "And why would they have killed you?"
"Because," said the little man, "I myself picked the pocket of a man whom
one of their number was trailing."
"I see," said Chester, manifesting no surprise, for he was well aware
that the street Arab had taken them for his own kind. To have betrayed
surprise would have been to invite suspicion.
"Now," said the little man, "we shall have to hide.
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