n discovered shows
that he wasn't here for any honest purpose."

"Well, what are we going to do?" demanded Sandy. "Let's give the
Little Brass God a rest long enough to make up our minds about
George."

"We can't do anything until morning," Will interposed.

"How do you know we can't?" demanded Tommy.

"Because it's dark, and because we know nothing about the country,"
replied Will.

The boys sat before the fire until midnight listening for the
return of their chum. When it began to snow they reluctantly
decided that George had crawled into some temporary shelter for the
night and would not think of trying to make his way home through
the storm.

"You boys go to bed now," Will advised, "and I'll sit up and keep
watch. If you hear me firing how and then, don't think the camp's
been attacked. George may be lost in the woods, and I'll be doing
that to give him the right direction."

"We should have done that before," Tommy suggested.

"Well, get to bed," Will urged, "and I'll run the camp till
morning."

Tommy and Sandy crawled into the tent which stood nearest to the
great campfire and cuddled up in the warm blankets.

"Do you believe Will will stay in camp until morning?" asked Tommy.

"Of course I don't," was the reply. "He'll wait until we're
asleep, and then he'll go prowling around the camp in search of
George."

"That's just about what he'll do."

"What's your idea, then?" asked Sandy.

"Well," Tommy whispered, "George may be out in the snow somewhere,
and it won't take us very long to circle about the camp just to
make sure."

"I got you!" replied Sandy. "We'll get out under the back wall,
and take a little trip with our searchlights."

Half an hour later, when Will, heavily wrapped, glanced in at the
tent preparatory to going out on his quiet search for the missing
chum, ho saw that the blankets were empty.

"The little scamps?" he chuckled. "They've beaten me to it!"

In the meantime, Tommy and Sandy were making their way through the
wilderness traveling in the narrow light provided by the electrics.
By this time the snow was quite deep, and the wind appeared to be
rising every minute.

"We never can get home in this storm if we once lose sight of the
campfire," Tommy said as the two huddled together in the lee of a
big tree.

"That's a fact!" Sandy admitted. "So I guess we'd better be poking
along. Which way is the fire?"

"Why, it ought to be right over there!" replied To