o early as they did, had not Jim and Dick paid them a visit
for the purpose of hearing the particulars of the chase.

Bob's partners paid no attention to Farmer Kenniston when he proposed
that they wait until the boys should awaken, since the chances were that
they needed a considerable amount of sleep; but insisted on paying a
visit to their partner in bed, which effectually prevented him from
enjoying another morning nap.

When Ralph and George made their appearance half an hour later, Bob had
told his friends all the particulars of the chase, including the finding
of the report on the Simpson property, and the moonlighters were quite
as much excited about it as if they had been the owners of the land.
They insisted that George and Ralph should verify the truth of the
statement at once, and, without waiting for an invitation, proposed to
accompany them.

Just then, owing to the unusual vigilance of the torpedo detective, the
moonlighter's business was virtually at a standstill, and they had
plenty of spare time in which to prospect for oil, or to prove the truth
of the statement that had so singularly come into George's possession.

Both the owners of the Simpson wood-lot would have much preferred to
make their investigations alone; but since they could give no good
reason as to why the boys should not be allowed to accompany them, nor
none as to why the work should not be begun at once, they were obliged
once more to start out with the moonlighters.

During the ride home the night before, George and Ralph had discussed
the question of what they should do in case oil was found on the
property, and they both felt that in such case they should consider that
Mr. Simpson still had a claim upon the land, even though they had paid
him all he had said he considered it worth.

They would have willingly loaned him the money to pay off the mortgage
if it could have been done as well; but that they thought at the time he
would not accept, and George had purchased the wood-lot. Now, however,
if it should be found that the land was very valuable, neither of the
boys thought it right that they should reap the entire benefit, although
they were legally entitled to do so.

They had feared that, by advancing the money to pay for the land, they
would be seriously hampered in the search for the horses, and when they
were obliged to give up the small amount which they had left, to the
constable at Sawyer, it seemed certain that th