n the plains in his day, he seems to know so
much about Indian ways and all that."

"But he's met his match in our scout-master, for a fact," blustered
Landy, full of genuine admiration for the commander who had many a time
led the Wolf Patrol boys to victory over stupendous obstacles.

"Silence everybody now," came from Elmer, though naturally it must have
given him a warm feeling in the region of his heart to know that these
good chums felt so kindly toward him and were not backward in
expressing their sentiments.

So they continued on for another stretch. The fugitive must have come
to believe that by this time he would have thrown any possible tracker
off the scent; at any rate, he tried no new game looking to baffling
pursuit.

Gliding along like shadows the seven scouts made fair progress. Elmer
was of the opinion that at any minute now they might come upon the spot
where the unknown had his hide-out. He had communicated his plans to
the others before this, and they all knew the parts they would be
expected to play should it come to a hold-up.

Covered by the guns that he and Lil Artha carried, it was doubtful
whether the man would dare take chances and try to flee. If he did and
left Hen behind him, the first thing for them to do would be to secure
the boy, even if he evinced a desperate desire to avoid them.

Somehow, Elmer himself believed they would find what they were seeking
in the unusually large patch of brush that now lay ahead of them. He
caught glimpses of the water just beyond, which proved that an arm of
the swamp extended in this direction.

Pushing steadily on as noiselessly as possible, they were presently
able to part the bushes and discover a dead fire in plain sight. The
boat lay on the shore, with one plank smashed in, doubtless the result
of an accident that had wrecked the hopes of the two fugitives.

Eagerly they surveyed the prospect, and then Lil Artha gave a grunt of
disgust.

"Skipped out, that's a measly shame!" he exclaimed, wrathfully.

"But what's that white thing stuck in the crotch of the wand yonder?"
demanded Toby; "looks to me like it might be some sort of communication
from our poor pard Hen Condit; because that's an old scout and Indian
way of leaving word, you know."

Elmer was already hurrying forward to possess himself of the message.
The others watched him take it from the crotch of the stick and open
the soiled paper on which there seemed to be more or