rations. I have known Bob to wait for a week before he dared
explode a charge, and I don't care to get mixed up in any encounter
between these two sets of torpedo men."

"I don't want any harm to come to him through me," replied Ralph,
gleefully, "but I should not be at all sorry to see just a little
excitement in the way of a chase of the moonlighters."

"There is every chance that you will be fully satisfied before you leave
this portion of the country," said George, grimly; and then, as his
horses were ready for the road once more, he added: "Get in, and, if
nothing happens, I will show you the cabin of the moonlighters in less
than an hour."

CHAPTER III.

THE CABIN OF THE MOONLIGHTERS.

Bob Hubbard had been away from the Kenniston farm-house nearly half an
hour when Ralph and George left it, but the latter was so well
acquainted with the country that he did not need any guide to the cabin,
and could not have had one, had he so desired, for Bob was far too
cautious to be seen leading any one to his base of operations.

It was well known by the owners of the torpedo patents that Robert
Hubbard was the most skillful of all the moonlighters, and whenever he
was seen traveling toward any of the wells that were being bored, he was
followed, but, thanks to the fleetness of his horses, he had never been
seen at his work by any one who would inform on him.

Bob believed, as did a great many, that the firm holding the patent had
no legal right to prevent any one from exploding nitro-glycerine by the
means of a percussion cap placed in the top of a tin shell or cartridge.
Several cases were before the courts undecided, and until a decision was
reached, the owners of the patent would do all in their power to prevent
any one from interfering in the business which they proposed to make a
monopoly. Therefore, when Bob went about his work, he did so with quite
as much mystery as if he had been engaged in some decidedly unlawful
act.

The ride from Sawyer, among the mountains, was quite as rough a one as
that from Bradford, and Ralph found that he had about as much as he
could attend to in keeping the guns, fishing-rods and himself in the
carriage, without attempting to carry on any extended conversation with
his friend. It was, therefore, almost in silence that the two rode along
until George turned the horses abruptly from the main road into the
woods, saying, as he did so:

"If I am not mistaken, this path wil