pect for them than I
have for people who aren't afraid of things. There's nothing brave about
doing a thing you're not afraid of."

"There's the car now, Jack! We haven't wasted much time coming back,
anyhow."

Jack put his hand to his lips and imitated the cry of a crow. That was
the sign of the Crow Patrol, to which all three of the Scouts belonged.

"There comes his answer! That means the coast is clear. I was half
afraid they might have caught him and the car. It wouldn't have done at
all for us to escape as we have and then walk into a trap here--that
would make us look pretty foolish, it seems to me."

"You're right it would, Jack. Hello, Tom! Anything doing here while we
were gone?"

"Not a thing! How on earth did you get back so soon? Did you get what
you were looking for?"

"I guess we did! Get the spark plug in, Tom, and we'll be off."

A few moments saw them on the road again, and moving fast. In the
distance now, as they sped along, Jack's practiced ear caught a strange
sound, and he slowed down so that he might listen the better.

"Say," he cried, in sudden excitement, "that's another car! And what's
an automobile doing here at this time of night?"

The same thought came to the three of them at once.

"I wonder if it's one of their scout cars," cried Tom Binns, voicing the
thought. "I've been thinking it was funny we hadn't run into them at
all, Jack."

"Well, we'll have to look out if it is," said Jack.

The sound grew louder, and it was soon apparent that the other car was
coming toward them. Jack slowed down, and kept to a slow pace, keeping
his car as much as possible in the shadow of the trees that hung over
one side of the road. The other car came on fast, and, as it swept
around a bend of the road that had hidden it from them, they were almost
blinded by the great ray from the searchlight it carried. Jack himself
had been running without lights of any sort, for greater safety from
detection.

As soon as the driver of the other car saw the machine in which the
three Scouts were riding, he slowed down. It came alongside in a few
moments and a man leaned out and hailed Jack.

"What are you doing here?" he cried, and then, before Jack could answer
the question: "Come on, men, it's one of their cars! We've got to
capture them!"

As he spoke he slewed his car around, so that it half filled the road,
and two men leaped to the ground and made for Jack's car.

But Jack had a different pla