iged to take the
paper packages from the carriage, and eat such portions of Mrs.
Kenniston's samples of cookery as they desired.

Bob gave his horses food and water before he satisfied his own hunger,
and, just as he finished this work, he cried, as he held his hand up,
warningly:

"Hark! what was that?"

The boys listened intently several moments, but nothing could be heard
save the rustling of the leaves, as they were moved back and forth by
the morning breeze, or the twitter of birds, as they started out in
search of breakfast, and George said, with a laugh:

"This is the first time I ever knew you to betray any caution, my dear
boy, and you should be commended for it; but just now I think it is
thrown away, for I hardly believe there is any one within half a mile of
us who is awake so early."

"I thought I heard some one coming through the bushes," replied Bob, as
he began a vigorous attack on the food; "but I guess it was nothing but
the wind."

Five minutes passed, during which each one was so busy with his
breakfast that he had no time for conversation, and then George motioned
his companions to be silent. The warning was useless, for all had heard
a sound in the bushes, as if some heavy body was moving through the
underbrush, and all paused to listen.

There was evidently some person or animal near by, and moving directly
away from them; but it seemed so reasonable to suppose that it was a
cow, or some other domestic animal, who had slept out of doors all
night, that it was some moments before any one of the three thought of
learning the cause of the noise.

Even though they had every reason to believe that those whom they were
pursuing would spend the night as they had spent it, each one of that
party was so certain the thieves were a long distance away, that the
thought that it might be those they were in pursuit of which were making
the noise never occurred to them.

It was not until some time after the sounds had died away that George
realized how important it was that he should know what had caused them,
and then he started up at once, dashing through the underbrush toward
the direction from which the noise had come.

Ralph and Bob started impulsively to follow him, and then the latter
said, as he pulled his companion back:

"One is enough to find the cow, for that is probably what we have been
hearing, and we might as well be eating our breakfast while he is
hunting."

Ralph thought, as di