o be angry with him he did not care.

At the end of the hour Ralph said to the still angry, injured Jim:

"We will harness them now, and I will drive on the way back."

"You can do just as you please," replied Jim, "I've got nothing to do
with it, and I wash my hands of the whole affair."

"You may wash your hands of this portion of the affair as much as you
please; but you'll take the full share of responsibility for having
driven out here."

Jim made no reply, which was a matter of but little moment, so Ralph
thought; but he assisted in harnessing the horses, and when that was
done, he took his seat in the carriage like a martyr.

Ralph followed him, and, gathering up the reins, he allowed the horses
to choose their own gait going back, a tenderness towards animals that
Jim looked upon with the most supreme contempt.

As a matter of course, their progress was very slow, for the animals
were so weary that they had no desire to go faster than a walk; and
still, without speaking, the two boys rode on, occupying three hours in
returning over the same distance they had come in one.

To find in the night the place into which Bob had driven was an
extremely difficult task, and more than once did Ralph stop the horses
by the side of the road, calling vigorously to George, in the belief
that they had reached the new quarters of the moonlighters.

It was not until after they had made four such mistakes that they heard
George's voice in reply, and then he and Pete came out to lead the
horses in through the thicket of bushes that screened the entrance of
the road.

Ralph saw at once by the look on his friend's face, and the solicitude
with which he examined his horses, that Bob had told the first portion
of the story, which had been more than displeasing to him.

"Did you drive all the way, Ralph?" he asked.

And his tone was far from being as friendly as usual.

"I had nothing whatever to do with the horses or the trip, except to
help rub them down when we stopped, and to drive home," replied Ralph,
almost indignant that George should think even for a moment that he
would have countenanced such a thing.

Harnett said no more then, but busied himself in caring for the animals
by unharnessing and feeding them.

Jim soon joined his partners in the hut, and after he had gone, George
asked Ralph for the particulars of the chase, which were given minutely.

After he had finished the story, not without several interru