ut the affair would have made you
considerable trouble."

"Who's Bert, then?" demanded Tommy.

"Bert is the son of a prominent federal official at Chicago," replied
Frank. "But we've had enough of this," the boy declared modestly. "I
didn't do any more than any other boy would have done."

"You undertook that long trip out to the cabin when you didn't have to!"
exclaimed Will. "That was good of you!"

CHAPTER XXII

THE PLANS AT LAST

With a parting glance at Cameron and Fenton, the boys, accompanied by
the doctor, turned away in the direction of the cabin.

"Wait!" shouted Fenton. "Don't go off and leave us in this plight! We'll
starve to death if you do!"

"What about those plans?" demanded Will.

"I'll help you find the plans!" screamed Cameron. "I'll see that you get
the plans; if you get us out of this scrape!"

"Keep still!" commanded Fenton.

"I refuse to keep still!" declared Cameron. "I'm not going to be left
here to be devoured by insects. Tell me the truth about the plans," he
went on, "what do you want of them?"

"We want to introduce the plans in evidence in the criminal court at
Chicago," replied Will.

"And that will betray our secret," commented Fenton fiercely. "Those
plans are worth millions of dollars to us! They represent the only
perfect mining machine ever invented."

"We don't care anything about your mining machine," Will answered.

"Have you noticed anything peculiar about the plans?" Frank asked.

"Nothing except that they are dirty!" was the reply.

"Marked up with thumb prints, for instance?"

"Yes, there are thumb prints," replied Cameron.

"Well, we want the thumb prints," Frank laughed.

"You're a fool if you listen to any such arguments!" screamed Fenton.
"Why should these gutter snipes want the papers for the thumb prints?"

"That's what we want them for!" insisted Frank. "Are you going to tell
us where the plans are?"

"I'll tell you!" replied Cameron.

Fenton turned his back on his friend and refused to discuss the question
further. When the lads started away carrying Cameron on a rude litter,
they left his follow conspirator lying by the fire.

"Please bring him along," pleaded Cameron. "He'll die if you leave him
there! I can tell you where the plans are, and I'll do so, whether he
likes it or not. This has been a misunderstanding all around. We were
only trying to protect our interest in the mines which we believed to
exist in this neighborhood,