of here and
left it to the marshals to have it all their own way. I'm afraid
there is going to be a big fight to-night, and these old woods
may be full of humming bullets. And I'm worried about Dick, too,
going off as guide to the marshals. There were only eight of
the marshals, and, even with four of our fellows, they still have
to face nearly twenty of the moonshiners---and I'll wager that
the moonshiners are all desperate fighters."

"Oh, dear!" wailed Danny Grin.

Bert Dodge's face was a study. With the prospect of a running
fight between United States' marshals and desperate moonshiners
about to take place, these woods seemed likely to be anything
but a safe place.

"At least, the marshals did a decent thing in leaving us rifles
here to protect ourselves with," Dan Dalzell continued.

Raising his head, Bert took a long look at the camp. Not far
away stood Tom Reade, the outlines of a rifle in his grasp showing
very distinctly. Dalzell was over nearer the shadow of the tent,
yet Bert made sure that Dalzell had a rifle also.

"Gracious! There is likely to be real enough trouble in the woods
to-night!" muttered Bert. "Those boys didn't have guns when they
left Gridley. The authorities have probably furnished them."

Just then a popping fire rang out further up the lake slope.

"There it goes!" almost yelled Danny Grin. "The marshals have
run into the moonshiners. The fight is on. Oh, I hope none of
our fellows are being hit!"

Certainly the firing continued briskly. Dodge forgot all about
lighting the fuse of the fireworks' bomb.

Instead, he crouched low, then darted from the bushes, running
as fast as he could to the point where he had left his companion.

"In here!" chuckled Bayliss gleefully. "I didn't know you had
anything with you but the bomb, Bert."

"That's all I did have," whispered Dodge, white-faced. "Hustle
out of here, Bayliss!"

"What's the matter?"

"Hear that firing?"

"I thought you had been setting off fire crackers, Bert."

"Fire crackers nothing!" ejaculated Bert, his face ghastly. "Man
alive, that's a fight going on up the slope between United States
officers and a lot of desperate moonshiners! There goes the firing
again."

Bayliss heard it; he couldn't help that.

Then still nearer rang out the firing.

"We've got to get out of here as fast as our legs will take us,"
Bert insisted. "Hustle before the bullets reach us."

At that moment Dave Darrin br