midnight
`` I must tell you this , however ; once you get in the house , you will be in great peril , as these men are unscrupulous in the highest degree . Green would be behind the bars long before this except for good luck and the extreme precautions that he takes . Add to this the fact that many of the people in this section see no harm in smuggling , and would never give information even if they had it , and you can see how Green has so long managed to escape paying the penalty for his misdeeds . Now that is all I can tell you , and you had better be getting along on your work , as it is now midnight , and it will take you at least fifteen minutes to get to Green 's barn . '' Mr. Everett concluded by giving them minute instructions as to how to reach the farm of the suspected smuggler leader . `` I know all this is dangerous , '' said Mr. Everett , `` but you boys are now working for your country , and as you have taken the responsibility you must be prepared to carry it out to the end . For safety 's sake , however , I am going to propose the following measure .