bit of it," replied Ned stoutly. "He's a thoroughbred villain,
and will certainly take some revenge on you. Your resolve does you lots
of credit, Randy, but it won't do. You might repent it all the days of
your life."

Clay and Nugget were of the same mind, and earnestly urged Randy to
abandon his rash intention.

"Help may be nearer than we think," said Clay. "The man who stopped us
up the creek this morning was certainly Bug Batters, and it looks very
much to me as though he has been following this Moxley on purpose to
keep him from doing us any injury. He may feel grateful to us, you know,
because we saved his brother--or rather you did, Ned."

"And Bug Batters knew that Moxley was in the vicinity," whispered
Nugget. "That's who he was looking for when we met him."

"I have no doubt that the stranger was Bug Batters," said Ned, "and I
think he is trying to prevent his old companion from carrying out his
revenge, as Clay suggests. But what has become of Bug Batters now? That
is the important question. I am afraid he has strayed off in some other
direction. If he came near the mill he could not help finding the
canoes."

"He told us he had been down the creek just before we met him," remarked
Clay, "but he could not have been all the way to the mill, for the two
canoes and the tent were there then, and he did not say anything about
them."

"And when he left us he struck back toward the base of the hill," added
Nugget.

"It looks very much as though he had lost the trail entirely," said Ned.
"He may be three or four miles away. It would be very foolish to count
on getting help from him, anyhow."

"Then we don't stand a ghost of a chance," muttered Randy. "You had
better let me have my own way. I'll throw myself on that fellow's
mercy."

"You won't do anything of the kind," said Ned firmly. "We won't let
you. If anything serious happened we would have to shoulder the blame.
If you are really sorry for being the cause of this scrape, prove it by
dropping your foolish project."

"You take things coolly enough," grumbled Randy. "Do you want us to stay
cooped up here for a week, and lose everything we have? Go ahead, then.
I won't say any more."

In truth Randy was glad enough to give up his resolve. Remorse had
prompted him to make the offer, and he had secretly hoped that his
companions would refuse to accept the sacrifice.

"I don't intend that we shall stay here a week, or even a night, if I
can help it,