fallen log. The instant he saw
them he raised his weapon.

"Don't come no further," he said.

"Why not?" demanded Roy indignantly.

"See that sign?" said the man.

He pointed to a rudely painted sign on a tree at his back.

"Dangir. No Trespasin."

That was what it said in bold letters that sprawled across its surface
in an untidy fashion. The execution of the thing was as bad as its
spelling.

"I guess a pretty sick man painted that sign," grinned Jimsy.

"What do you mean?" was the surly reply.

"Why, I should judge he was having an awful bad spell at the time," was
the boy's rejoinder.

The man scowled at him fiercely.

"No joking round here," he growled; "now, then, if you know what's good
for you you two kids will vamoose."

"What's the danger if we keep on?" asked Roy.

"Why, they're trying a new kind of explosive back there. It might go off
the wrong way, your way, for instance, and hurt you," was the reply.

"Seems a funny sort of place to try out explosives," said Roy.

"Seems a queer sort of place for you two kids to come. Who are you,
anyhow?"

"Oh, we are camping down below and we just came out for a stroll."

"Well, stroll some other place, then. Git away from round here."

"We certainly will," flashed back Roy; "come on, Jimsy."

As there seemed nothing else to do Jimsy agreed. They turned away and
began retracing their steps, no wiser as to the whereabouts of the man
with the broken boot than they had been when they set out.

Just as they turned to go, however, another man came out of the woods
behind the man with the rifle. When he saw the boys he gave an abrupt
start.

"Where did those boys come from?" he demanded.

"I don't know. Said they was two kids out campin' and takin' a stroll."

"Taking a stroll, eh?" said the other ferociously; "they were taking a
stroll looking for that Wren."

"How do you know?"

"Because they are the same two kids who stole her from us just as we
were going to demand a ransom for her."

"That was before I joined the band. No wonder I didn't know them; if
I had----"

He scowled vindictively.

"Well, we can't let 'em get away. Here, give me that rifle," demanded
the newcomer.

The other handed it to him. The next instant a report rang out and a
bullet whizzed over the boys' heads.

"Come back here," shouted the man who had fired the shot; "I want to
see you."

The boys hesitated for a minute.

"The next shot 'ull come lower if you