ust," agreed the others.

"There's another," announced Jack, as a perfectly flat tent almost
blocked their way. This was evidently deserted, for not a boy was to
be seen, either lamenting or trying to right the canvas.

"Funny," commented Ed. "They must have gone to the hotel."

"Hotel!" exclaimed Jack. "Why, they borrowed a pint of our kerosene
this morning. They may have gone to jail."

"Let's run," suggested Ed. "This funeral march is getting on my
nerves. Besides, I am anxious to see the Couldn't."

In a few minutes the boys sighted their own tent. It looked all right.

"Thank goodness!" breathed Dray, fervently. "I really couldn't stand
any more nerve-racking experiences."

"We look intact," said Walter. "I wonder if my dress suit is still
unwrinkled."

"Your overalls?" asked Jack, mimicking Walter's tone of voice. "Oh, I
am sure they are perfectly all right, for I saw them in the wood box
just before we left."

"Brute!" responded Walter. "But I say! What's that? We are inhabited!"

Sounds of voices issued from inside the tent. Jack dashed ahead and
raised the flap.

"Robbers! Thieves! Police!" he yelled, then he had to dodge something.

"We are here for our rights," sang out a strong voice. "We demand our
insurance!"

"Seems to me the demand is rather violent," replied Ed, as the
Couldn'ts saw what was going on. The entire tent was filled with boys
from the wrecked camps, and they were making away with practically
everything in the line of eatables they could lay their hands on.

"Clear out!" ordered Dray, "or we will call the police. What sort of
way is this to keep law and order?"

"The only way," replied Hal, a boy from the "Mist." "We couldn't even
keep up in starvation, but with something to sustain us we might be
able to keep the law. As a matter of fact, it was civic pride that
compelled us to come in here and eat."

There was no help for it now, the Couldn'ts had been robbed. Even
their party paper napkins were being made into balls.

"Isn't it awful!" moaned Jack, falling into the one dry spot on the
sandy floor. "And we were the real benefactors of this ranch. That's
the way goodness is repaid in this hard, cruel world."

Nobody noticed the sermon--everyone was too busy looking for food.
Finally Walter and Ed, after a private conference with Dray and Jack,
decided to give to the unfortunates all the food they possessed, "in
order to avert worse damage to their property."

"But we