" cried Sandy.

"Think of that little rat coming here and stealing the detective's
badge!" laughed George. "It's a sure thing he'll lead those amateur
officers a merry dance while they are in the hills! If I could just get
hold of him, I wouldn't mind helping him along now and then!"

"Well, get hold of him then," advised Johnson.

"But how?" asked Will. "Why, from this time on, you might as well try to
catch a flea in a load of hay as to get your hands on that boy! He can
find you, but you can't find him!"

"But he was hungry last night!" Tommy explained. "And he may become
hungry again!"

CHAPTER IV

A CHASE IN THE NIGHT

Shortly after dinner Johnson decided to make a start on his return trip
at once. It would take him, he said, two days in addition to the half
day to reach Green River, and he was due in San Francisco on the evening
of the third day. One of the burros was relieved of his burden of
provisions and the young man started away, leaving the boys feeling
rather lonely and also rather overloaded with responsibility!

"Do you really think Wagner and the boy are out of provisions?" asked
Tommy as twilight settled down over the camp.

"I don't see how they can procure provisions," Will suggested.

"We've just got to find out!" exclaimed Sandy. "You must remember," he
continued, "that this Chester Wagner is a Tenderfoot in the Beaver
Patrol, Chicago. He's afraid of us, but we've just got to help him out!
We wouldn't be good Boy Scouts if we didn't! Suppose we put up a smoke
signal for help and see if he'll come."

"Oh, yes, he'll come--not!" exclaimed Tommy.

"We can try it, anyway," insisted Sandy.

The lad carried embers from the campfire a short distance to the west
and built another roaring fire. Then he set about gathering green grass
in order to make a greater volume of smoke.

"You'll have to hurry with your telegraph apparatus," laughed George,
"if you want the boy to read your signal by daylight. It'll be so dark
in half an hour that he couldn't see a column of smoke fifty feet away!
Perhaps he isn't near enough to see them, anyway!"

"If I do all I can," Sandy declared, "I won't be to blame if he doesn't
see them. I believe we ought to find some way to help that kid!"

The fires were now burning at a great rate, and Sandy heaped huge
armfuls of green grass on top of the blazing sticks, with the result
that two great columns of white smoke lifted to the evening sky.

When the