r off."

"Looks like all the moonshiners in the mountains might be out in force,
and having a jolly old talk among themselves. Wonder what they find to
talk about?" Allan hazarded.

"Chances are ten to one it's us they're discussing," said Thad. "Old
Phin like as not, is giving his orders. Thought he grinned a little when
I was telling how scouts communicated with each other. He knew all about
that, the sly old rascal did; and this has been going on for years and
years before Boy Scouts were ever heard of."

"Thad, they're all around us; we're surrounded by these moonshiners,
with their handy guns; and if Old Phin says we've got to stay up here in
the mountains, why, it's going to be a case of being marooned for us. We
don't dare run, because they'd take that for a sure evidence of guilt,
and pepper us for all that's out. So, there's nothing to be done but
stick it out, seems to me."

"Well, we ought to be satisfied," remarked Thad, grimly. "Marooned or
not, it was our intention to stay around here until Bob had settled
those two matters of importance that fetched him down this way."

"Sure, I'd pretty nigh forgotten that," declared the Maine boy, more
cheerfully. "So let the mountain men shake their blessed old torches at
each other all they choose, and tell how the trap is to be made snug as
all get-out; we'll just play the innocent, and try to find out what we
want to know. Shall we go back to camp now, Thad?"

"Just as you say," returned the other. "Nothing more to see out this
way. We know that Old Phin isn't ready to look on us as friends yet. He
can't get over the suspicions the sight of our khaki uniforms woke up in
his soul. But so far we hadn't ought to complain with the way things
have gone. Hope it'll keep on to the end; and that our Bob will get all
he aims for, find his daddy, and take the little girl cousin back to
Cranford with him."

"And if it all goes to the good, say, p'raps we won't have a feather to
stick in our hats, all right, Thad! We'll never get over talking about
this thing. But will it go straight; that's the question?"

"You never can tell," replied the other, softly, and encouragingly.
"We're going to do our level best; and leave the rest. Good-night,
Allan; wake Giraffe at the end of an hour, and caution him to keep a
good watch. I come next in line, you know."

With these parting words Thad stepped softly into camp, glanced at the
various forms of the scouts stretched in favori