peculiar arrangement of
the seats. It was Mose Hocker's boat. Moxley had carried it off when he
stole the gun.

"I say, young fellow, don't be quick with that shootin' iron; I want to
talk to you."

The voice came from a thicket a few feet up the bank, and as Ned stood
still with fear and amazement, a man slipped out and stood before him.

Ned instantly guessed the identity of the newcomer.

"You are Bug Batters?" he asked quickly.

"Yes, I'm Bug Batters, and I reckon you are one of them canoein' chaps.
I took you fur some one else at first--fur the man what put this boat
here."

"You mean Dude Moxley," said Ned. "Well, I can tell you where he is. In
spite of your warning we all fell into his hands, and I'm the only one
that's free so far."

He went on with his story and quickly made the situation clear.

Bug was amazed to learn how close his old companion was.

"It's a purty bad fix," he said slowly, "but I reckon we can't get your
friends out of it. It's a pity you have no loading fur that gun. You
see, Moxley is a bad man and won't listen to argument. We'll have to
think over the matter a little bit, and meanwhile I'll tell you how I
come to be here."

Both sat down on the boat, and Bug began his narrative.

"I'm a purty rough customer, but I've got a heart like other men, and
I'm grateful to you because one of you saved my brother from drowning.
Moxley was awful mad when you gave him the slip, but he didn't think of
going after you at first. Two or three days later he heard accidentally
that you fellows was camping some place along the creek--I furget the
name of it now--and knowin' from this that you weren't in any hurry he
got into his head to go after you.

"I tried to talk him out of it, but it weren't any use, so then I let on
I was agreed to it, meanin' all the time to stand by you fellows. Well,
we traveled down the creek fur a couple of days until a rock knocked the
bottom out of our boat and sunk it."

Bug hesitated briefly, and then resumed in a faltering voice: "We
picked up another boat that night, and started off again, but I reckon
Moxley must have suddenly got suspicious of me, for when morning came he
gave me the slip and that was the last I seen of him. Knowin' that he
meant mischief, and knowin' that you chaps couldn't be far away, I
follered the creek on down.

"Before daylight this morning I found the boat here. I went up the creek
then lookin' fur Moxley, and that's when I met