There was nothing, absolutely nothing in the room but wooden packing cases.

He lifted the cover of the one nearest to him and looked inside.

It was quite empty, except for some pieces of heavy cord, and a few cardboard shoe boxes that, in turn, were empty, too.
"It's here, of course," said Jimmie Dale thoughtfully to himself.
"Clever work, too! But I can't move half a hundred packing cases without that chap below hearing me; and I can't do it in ten minutes, either, which, I imagine is the outside limit of time.

Fortunately, though, these cases are not without their compensation--a dozen men could hide here." He began to move about the room.

And now he stooped before one pile of boxes and then another, curiously attempting to lift up the entire pile from the bottom.