country--is that it, Ned?" Jack queried.

"I expect it is about like this," the patrol leader replied; "one or two
men must have found our boats. For the life of me, I don't understand
how it happened, except that they were paddling along on the river, and
wanting to go ashore took exactly the same notion we did--that the reeds
would make a good hiding place for their craft. And, as luck would have
it, they ran on our canoes."

"No signs here to tell Francois or the Cree about how long back this
thing happened, I reckon?" Frank put in just then.

"That's where we get a hard knock," Ned continued, with a tinge of
regret in his voice; "because, as you all know, water leaves no trace.
When men are fleeing from enemies, the first thing they think of is to
get into a creek, and throw their pursuers, dogs and all, off the scent.
So, even as clever a trailer as Tamasjo couldn't tell any better than
Jimmy here whether this robbery occurred an hour ago or three of the
same."

"We're sure enough up against it this time, boys," Teddy affirmed.

"And have been on other occasions, remember, when things came out all
right, and we won in the end." Jack reminded the doubter.

"Let's make up our minds we're going to beat these chaps at their own
game, and that'll be half the battle," Frank told them.

"But I think Ned is all right when he says, 'we ought to cut stick and
get away from here as soon as we can,'" Jack gave as his opinion.

In fact, the guides were manifesting more or less impatience. They
apparently understood that the enemy would be apt to turn up here again,
sooner or later; and could not comprehend why the scouts should always
want to compare notes, before doing anything like making a change of
base. Francois and the Cree were accustomed to making most of their
moves through instinct; while with the scouts those same things did not
come naturally, but had to be reasoned out, which made considerable
difference.

One last look did they give toward the reeds that had promised to be so
friendly, only to betray the confidence the boys had placed in them; and
after that the little party moved off.

"But say, won't they follow after us, Ned?" asked Jimmy, when he failed
to see the guides getting busy with trying to destroy all evidences of
their passage, as he had fully expected would be the case.

Some of the other scouts showed by their expectant manner that they were
also wondering what it all meant. Ned took it