ou will find a desk not in use in the next room. In
the meantime, you boys make yourselves comfortable for a few minutes, I
don't expect that the call will be more than five minutes in going
through," and the Chief began to busy himself with some papers around
his desk.

The boys withdrew to a corner of the room, and found chairs.

The minutes seemed to drag horribly. None of the boys was exactly
worried, except for the fact that they were losing precious time. They
wanted to go back to Canal Street and buy the rifle and such other
things as they might need. If they were held for some sort of a hearing
in the morning, it would delay them considerably as their train left
early, and there was no other until late in the afternoon, meaning they
would lose almost a day on their journey.

After a few minutes of silence, Dick cautiously whispered to Garry, "How
about showing him our customs papers and badges?"

"Only as a last resort," answered Garry in a low tone.

They looked up when they saw the Chief reaching for the telephone.

"How about that Augusta call?"

He listened a moment, then hung up the receiver and turned to the boys.

"Operator says she is still working on it, that they cannot find him
now, but are trying places where he might be. Still of the opinion you
want me to talk to him?"

"Positively," answered Garry.

The Chief resumed his newspaper, and the boys fidgeted a minute until
Garry bethought himself of the pocket checkerboard they generally
carried. He fished it out and suggested they play to while away the
time. Dick elected to play first with Garry, and let Phil take on the
winner.

Seeing them at their game, the Chief walked over and stood watching.
Garry had just succeeded in getting a king after an unusually clever
play, and the Chief, who was quite a player himself, was applauding
softly when the 'phone bell rang.

"Guess there's our call now," he remarked, as he hurried back to his
desk.

Sure enough it was the call, and in a moment the Chief was talking with
Mr. Ardmore.

"Listen, Mr. Ardmore, this is the Chief of Police of Bangor. I have
three boys here who were picked up after finding a dead man in a room
here. There is nothing against them on that score, but they claim to be
Forest Rangers, and I say they are too young, so to settle the matter I
am calling you. They give their names as Boone, Wallace and Durant," and
here the Chief described them. "They're all right, you say?"