ared that those
marks were medals of honor.

"Now, if we had all been like Will here, and each rushed for his
possessions, the camp would have been a-goner," he remarked, with a
reproachful look.

"That's all right, fellows, and under any other conditions I would have
been one of the first to assist; but I'm the official photographer of the
expedition, and the guardian of those splendid films that must perpetuate
our camping trip, for posterity," he explained.

"Hear! hear!" cried Frank.

"Why didn't you lay the outfit down at a safe distance then, and help
fight the fire with us?" demanded Bluff.

"I guess I know enough to take warning from your sad experience. They
hooked your old gun; the next thing they'll be after will be my camera.
No, sir, I hang on to that business through thick and thin. They'll have
to chloroform me to get my films away, and that's so."

"Was it an accident?" asked Bluff, looking to Frank for an opinion.

"What do you think, Jerry?" demanded the leader.

"It couldn't have been an accident, and I'm dead sure of it," was
the reply.

"Suppose you state your reasons then."

"First, we banked the fire down as usual before crawling into bed. Then
there wasn't a particle of wind to scatter the sparks. And last, but not
least, those heaps of dead leaves were carried here! I happen to know
that place was just about bare last evening!" replied the other,
seriously.

Will uttered an exclamation of wonder and alarm.

"Do you really mean to say that some fellows would be mean enough to try
and burn our camp?" he asked.

"I wouldn't put it past that Andy Lasher. Talk to me about your heathen!
he's just about equal to any of 'em. But don't you agree with me, Frank?"

"Certainly I do, because I happen to have a strong bit of evidence which
I picked up out there close to the burning leaves."

He held something up.

"A match-box!" exclaimed Will.

"Do any of you own that?"

"Pass it around. I never saw it before," declared Jerry, as he handled
the little silver article in which several matches still remained.

"Well, I have, then," remarked Bluff, suddenly, as he stared at the
trophy; "and just as I thought, here are two initials on it."

"What are they?" asked Jerry, showing excitement.

"H.B."

"That doesn't cover any of Andy's crowd, though," said Jerry, seemingly
disappointed.

"The real owner of this match-box is Herman Bancroft," announced
Bluff; "I've had it in my hands mor