r the mining camp."

"Another narrow squeak for you, Jimmy," remarked Teddy, with a touch of
fine scorn in his voice. "Everything seems to be coming your way
nowadays."

"Huh! then let's hope those canoes and blankets and grub will follow
suit; for it'd sure tickle me to be able to restore the same to the
right owners. I keep on hopin' that Ned here won't think of leavin' this
neck of the woods without makin' a real des'prate effort to recover what
we lost."

Ned did not take the bait, and proclaim what his intentions might be;
though it went without saying that he would have been just as glad to
see their stolen property returned as the next one.

"If that 'coon' happened to come down to the bay along here, wouldn't he
run across our trail?" asked Frank.

"Perhaps so," Ned replied, "but we have to take our chances there. You
see we couldn't waste the time to try and hide it all the while. Let's
hope that if he does come on our tracks, he'll think they've been made
by some of his friends up at the camp."

"All the same," advised Jimmy, "I'm going to keep my eye peeled for any
sign of the chappie. After doing the great stunts we have already, it'd
be a shame to have our plans knocked galley-west through a blunder, or
an accident."

"No shooting at anything you happen to think must be a man aiming a
gun," was what the leader told Jimmie; for such a thing had really
happened on a former occasion, causing much embarrassment to Jimmy, and
almost breaking up the clever plan of his superior.

"Wish I may die if I do," mumbled the other, always ready to give all
the assurance desired, even though unable to sustain the position thus
taken.

The forward progress was resumed. No more shots floated to their ears,
which was pretty good evidence that none were fired; because that south
wind, constantly rising, must surely have carried the sounds to their
ears.

"The dickens!" exclaimed Jack, presently.

"Ha! you felt it too, did you?" observed Teddy. "When I went to look up
to see how the fog was lifting, a drop hit me square in the eye, but I
waited to see if anybody else caught on."

"It's begun to rain, for a fact!" exclaimed Frank, dejectedly.

"And say, look where we are, would you?" Jimmy added. "Down on the flat
shore, with only a growth of stunted oaks growing above us. Wherever
d'ye believe we'll be able to find a sign of shelter, I'd like to know?"

"In for a ducking, boys, looks like," said Teddy. "And th