he results seemed so uncertain that
it was only natural he should feel the heavy weight resting upon his
young shoulders.

First of all, he must meet his cousin, Bertha, and learn what success
had followed her efforts to discover whether the paper she had seen by
accident in her guardian's safe was the missing document which Bob
believed Reuben had abstracted, placing another in its place. Then,
later on, he had that appointment with Polly, the moonshiner's daughter,
who was to bring him news concerning the mysterious prisoner.

Yes, Bob certainly had quite enough on his young mind to make him
anything but jovial. Still, he had been more or less interested in what
was going on around him, for he was, after all, a boy.

They were eating supper, as they chatted in this way. Night had settled
down on the scene. It promised to be a pretty dark night at that, Thad
realized, as he looked around him, and then up at the heavens, where a
few stars held forth, but gave very little light.

It was fortunate that Bob happened to be so well acquainted around that
vicinity otherwise he would never have been able to cross to the other
side of the strange little basin which they called a valley, without
carrying a lantern; and this in itself must be out of the question,
since its light would betray him.

While they were eating, they heard a gunshot not far away.

"Wow! what d'ye think that means?" exclaimed Giraffe, jumping to his
feet, and looking off in the gloom toward the back trail. "Seemed to me
like it came from down that way, eh, boys."

"It sure did," announced Davy Jones, positively.

"And it was a gun in the bargain, with a big load. What d'ye s'pose they
could find to shoot at in the dark?" demanded Step Hen.

"Oh! lots of things," replied Allan. "If a bobcat jumped in on us right
now, we'd think of using our gun, wouldn't we? But it might be that shot
was some sort of signal, after all."

"There wasn't any answer, that's sure," interposed Bumpus.

"But seems to me I can hear somebody talking pretty loud that way,"
observed the listening Thad.

"I did too," declared Smithy; "but it's died away now, as though the
excitement might be over. I wonder what it was, fellows?"

"Chances are, we'll never know," returned Giraffe, settling back once
more to continue eating, for he was not yet through.

"Lots of queer things are happening all around us, that we'll never
know," remarked Step Hen, seriously.

Thad looked