faces turned inquiringly toward Bob White. He knew they were anxious to
hear what he had accomplished; and, as there were no longer any secrets
to be kept from the balance of the patrol, all having been taken into
his confidence, the Southern boy hesitated no longer.

"I found no trouble getting across the valley," he began; "though once I
had to lie low, when two men passed by. From what I heard them say, I
knew they were some of the moonshiners, and that they had been ordered
to take up positions somewhere, and stand guard. They seemed to be all
at sea about the nature of the danger, and yet when Old Phin gave the
alarm, they knew what they had to do."

"We ought to tell you in the start, Bob," said Thad, "that we had Phin
Dady sitting right where you are now; and that he stayed more than a
full hour in camp."

"Yes," broke in Bumpus, "and filling up on the stuff Thad gave him, all
about the heaps of things Boy Scouts are supposed to do. He liked it,
too, sure as you live, Old Phin did; and we reckon he's got a sneakin'
notion of startin' a troop right here, some fine day."

Bob White appeared to be astonished, and demanded to hear the whole
story before he went on with his own experiences. This was presently
told, and the one who had been absent at the time looked thoughtful when
he heard the conclusion.

"It may work for good, who knows?" he remarked, as though speaking to
himself. "He's a strange man, is Old Phin; a hard case in most ways; but
p'raps now he has got a soft spot in his flinty old heart for boys. He's
a daughter of his own but no sons. And that kind of men generally take
to boys best."

"If they do, it's because they don't know what boys are like," suggested
Bumpus.

"Now go on and tell us what you did," observed Thad. "Was your cousin at
the place you told her about?"

"Yes, it was a little arbor in the garden that I knew well," remarked
Bob, tenderly. "She was right glad to see me again, suh; and while she
wouldn't tell me all I wanted to know, I'm mighty sure Reuben Sparks is
cruel to her. She has been anything but happy; and always dreamin' of
the time when I'd come back to see her, and take her to my mother."

"Did she do what you asked her?" asked Thad, seeing that Bob was apt to
lose the thread of his narrative in letting his thoughts stray back to
his meeting with little Bertha, whom he loved like a sister.

"She did, suh, took a chance to peep through some of the papers in the
s