you don't none of you look very dangerous," he was told,
"so drop back as you please. We can't take chances, you understand,
so we'll ask you to produce proofs that you're what you claim. Then
if everything is O.K. p'raps now you might invite a couple of hungry
and tired guards to hang around a while until you rustled up a bit
of grub, and a cup of hot coffee which would go straight to the spot,
for we haven't had a thing to eat since last night."

"Oh! that's really too bad!" exclaimed Billy, immediately sympathizing
with any one who knew, the pangs of hunger. "Sure, we'll invite you
to stay with us to lunch. Luckily my policy of always providing a
little extra will come in handy, for we can fit you out with a pretty
fair meal."

Even the shorter guard grinned on hearing this. He seemed to have
quite lost the feeling of suspicion he had at first entertained toward
Hugh and his chums. In fact, he even stood his repeating rifle up
against the tree nearest him, and seemed bent on taking things easy.

Hugh was pleased because the adventure had after all turned out so
harmless. He had been a little startled when the demand was first
made that they should surrender, and mention made of the startling
fact that they must consider themselves under arrest.

Every one busied himself in gathering wood, and making preparations
for building a fire, even though, under ordinary conditions the boys
might not have started in to cook for some time to come. Billy,
however, seemed to consider it always in order to think of such an
important subject as "preserving life"; for that was what he was
pleased to call eating. No one ever heard a groan or complaint from
Billy when the order was given to prepare a meal; if the occurrence
happened six times a day he would have shown up smiling and hungry on
each and every occasion.

The taller guard became more and more friendly as he watched these
preparations going on. He also asked numerous questions concerning
Hugh and his chums.

"Now that I think of it," he remarked presently, "it strikes me I read
something about a batch of Oakvale scouts that helped the people over
in Lawrence when they had that big flood there. Are you some of that
lot, boys?"

"Several of us were there, and had great times, I assure you," Hugh
modestly replied, nor did he offer to enter into any particulars of
what had happened in the imperiled town at the time of their visit,
though those boys from Oak