had gone was doubly surprising.

Conversation lagged while all four carefully watched the actions of the
approaching men.

Whoever the strangers might be it was evident that they were not entirely
unfamiliar with the region. They picked their way with confidence and made
surprisingly good time as they advanced.

When they had come within fifty yards of the place where the boys were
standing, Fred excitedly seized George by his arm and said, "Do you see
who those two men are?"

"Who are they?" asked George.

"They are the same two white men that came into our camp over on the
canyon."

"Is that so, Zeke?" demanded George in surprise as he turned to the guide.

"Yes," answered Zeke sharply. "Now see if you can keep from talking too
much."

In a brief time the two white men advanced to the camp. From their actions
it was apparent that they had not been aware of the presence of the young
prospectors. Their surprise consequently was as great as that of the Go
Ahead Boys.

When they entered the camp the long, livid scar on the cheek of the
smaller man convinced the boys that their visitors were indeed the same
men who previously had come to their camp and to whose actions they had
attributed the loss of the diary of Simon Moultrie, as well as the strange
disappearance of the second boat.

The visitors were the first to speak as the taller man said, "What are you
folks doing here?"

"Just now we're doing nothin'," replied Zeke brusquely. "Can't you see?"

"That's about the same job we've got," laughed the man with the scar.

"We've been busy enough," growled Zeke.

"Doing what, may I ask?" inquired the larger of the visitors.

"Oh, looking for a lost boat--"

"Nice place to look for a boat," replied the man with the scar as he
laughingly pointed to the desert wastes all about them.

"That makes no difference, we've found it just the same," declared Zeke.

For a moment the two white men stared blankly at him, and then both
laughed as one said, "If you don't mind I wish you'd tell us where you
found a boat up here."

"I didn't say it was up here," explained Zeke. "I said we'd found a boat
where the men who took it had smashed."

"How do you know it was smashed?" inquired the man with the scar.

"Tell him," said Zeke abruptly, turning to Fred, "I wasn't myself in the
party," he explained, "but this boy was and he knows all about it."

"Pete was the one who found the boat," exclaimed Fred, "but we all sa