, though
I can't say that I remember your face."

"I guess I'm mistaken," admitted Brick. "It was your voice that seemed
familiar when you first spoke. I don't notice it now."

"I've often been tricked that way," said Raikes, laughing. "Lots of
people have voices alike. Still, you may have run across Bogle some time
or another. How long have you been in Maine?"

"I never was inside the State in my life, until two or three weeks ago,"
replied Brick.

"Then I reckon you must be mistaken," emphatically declared Raikes.
"Bogle and I have been in the woods since November."

"And I haven't been outside of Maine for nearly fifteen years," added
Bogle. "It ain't very likely we met before that."

He laughed in a rasping way. Brick laughed, too. Now that the stranger's
voice had lost its familiar chord, he was satisfied of his mistake, and
ceased to think about the matter.

Raikes quickly turned the conversation into a different channel.

"It seems to me," he said, "that we ought to overhaul that rascally
thief, and restore the stolen property to these lads. How does it strike
you, Bogle?"

He exchanged a lightning-like glance with his companion. The latter
nodded assent.

"That's right," he replied. "I'm with you. It won't take us much out of
our way."

"No," Raikes continued, "we'll catch him in a jiffy. He can't be far
off."

"It would have taken him almost this long to put on his clothes," said
Jerry. "He has snowshoes, though."

"So have we," replied Raikes. "If you lads will come along with us,
we'll try to recover the money and watch."

"Hamp ain't fit to travel," answered Jerry. "He's got to sit over this
fire for a couple of hours. And Brick and I can't leave him alone.
Besides, how are you going to cross the Mallowgash? That leap is too
dangerous."

"Just below the bend, yonder, is a clean freeze-over," replied Raikes.
"We were in the act of crossing when we heard you fellows sing out. But
one of you ought to go with us to identify the property and bring it
back. You see, the rascal may head just in the direction we want to go,
and; under them circumstances, we wouldn't care about tramping all the
way back."

"I'll go with you," eagerly exclaimed Brick. "I'd like to be on hand
when you corner Sparwick, and make him fork over."

A sudden gleam passed over Bogle's face. Raikes twisted his mustache and
looked across the stream.

"It don't matter which one of you goes," he replied, carelessly. "Come