his hand as a reward for sending in the
earliest news concerning the location of his missing property?

Yes, Toby was as happy as the clam is said to be at high tide. He
fairly bubbled over with an excess of spirits, and even when Bandy-legs
commenced to tease him he refused to display any temper.

In that wagon they carried most of the stuff that had been so useful on
other similar expeditions to the woods in search of enjoyment.

There was the old tent which Max had tanned after a formula of his own,
so that it had not only lost its dirty white look, but was now
guaranteed wholly waterproof. Then they had various guns, from the
reliable rifle Max owned to the newer little twelve bore Marlin
double-barreled shotgun which Steve proudly claimed could outshoot any
similar weapon ever made.

Besides they carried a full cooking assortment of kettles, fryingpans
and coffeepots. As to the provisions, well, given four hearty boys with
good appetites, an abundance of money in the treasury of the club, and
with a whole week ahead of them in the woods, and you can easily imagine
what an enormous stock of food they would be likely to lay in.

Unless something happened to deplete their stock of groceries there did
not appear to be much chance of such a thing as real hunger being known
in that camp. If they wanted fresh eggs, milk and butter, Max knew of a
farmer within two miles who would be only too glad to supply them with
all they could use, terms strictly cash with the order always.

It was now about three in the afternoon. They had a scant three miles
more to cover before arriving at their journey's end; and hence were not
in any great hurry to push along. So a little rest at the cool spring
would not come in amiss, and give poor old Ebenezer a chance to get in
condition for the last round.

As the boys lounged there and took things easy, they chatted about
numerous matters; and it was only natural that in due time the talk
should turn once more to the recent great scare Carson folks had passed
through.

"Seems to me," Max remarked, with a laugh, "that in some families for
years to come whenever they want to refer to anything that happened in
the past, it's going to be something like this: 'the year the circus
broke loose,' or else perhaps along this order: 'just a month after
those horrid wild animals terrorized the town!'"

"Yes, and they're seeing 'em yet every little while," Steve went on to
declare.

"S-s-sure