njoyment they were to
have drove everything else from their minds.

The stream was as promising a one as the most ardent disciple of Walton
could have desired, and but little time was spent, after they arrived at
its banks, before they had made their first cast.

The fish were as plenty as Bob had promised, and, when the time came for
their noon-day lunch, they had nearly full baskets of speckled beauties,
that would weigh from a quarter to three-quarters of a pound each.

During the forenoon they had fished up stream, and, when their lunch was
finished, they started down with the idea that they would reach the path
they had started from just about the time Bob would be ready to return
to the other hut.

On the way down, there was no necessity that they should fish in
company; therefore, each went along as he chose, with the understanding
that the one who reached the path first should wait for the other.

Ralph walked on ahead of George, dropping his line at every
promising-looking place in the stream, but meeting with very poor luck,
as compared with the forenoon's work. He only succeeded in catching
four while returning, when he had captured fully thirty on the way up,
and, owing to the absence of fish, or their disinclination to bite at
his hook, he arrived at the point from which he had started, fully two
hours before he had expected to be there.

But early as he was, he found Bob impatiently awaiting his arrival, and
the moonlighter's first inquiry was for the absent engineer.

"We agreed to fish leisurely down stream, expecting to be here about
sunset," replied Ralph. "I fancy he is meeting with better luck than I
did, and that it will be some time before he gets here."

"Well, we can't wait for him," said Bob, quickly. "We have got
everything so that we can move in to-night, and I want to be off. It
won't do for me to show myself without at least one of you, so we will
send Pete back here to wait for George, and you and I will go on."

"But how shall I meet him?" asked Ralph, not by any means pleased at
this idea of leaving his friend.

"That's easy enough to manage. Go back with me, get Harnett's team, come
back here behind us, get him and drive home to Kenniston's. You will be
there by ten o'clock, and we shall see you at breakfast time."

"But I don't like to leave George, for I promised him I would wait for
him here."

"Ah, that will be all right, for Pete will explain matters to him."

And, as