ave a look at the eighth scout?"

"I've thought of that, but made up my mind that so far the moonshiner
can have no suspicion who Bob is. And that being the case, Allan, you
can see he wouldn't be apt to bother himself to lie in wait for him. I
hope not, anyhow. It'd sure upset some of the plans we're trying so hard
to fix. And it might spell trouble with a big T for Bob."

"He's a good fellow, all right," remarked Allan, not in the least
jealous because his particular chum seemed drawn more than ever toward
the Southern boy.

"That's right," answered Thad, quickly; "and we've just got to stand
back of him, no matter what happens. I guess that if some of the boys'
parents had had even half a suspicion that we'd run up against such a
combination as this, they wouldn't have given their consent so easily to
our coming!"

"I suppose that would have been the case with Bumpus and several
others," the Maine boy went on; "but I've seen so much of this sort of
thing up in the pine wood that it isn't new to me. Not that it doesn't
give me a thrill, all right, whenever I think of what we're doing here,
and how we had that man sitting at our fire, the worst moonshiner of the
whole Blue Ridge, I guess. And Thad, you did give him a treat, the way
you talked. I could see that he took considerable stock in all you said.
And you opened his eyes some, believe me, with all the wonderful things
you reeled off."

"Wonderful to him, Allan, but the plain every day truth to the rest of
us. But I've always heard that there is a spark of good even in the
worst man living; and perhaps his weakness for boys may be the soft spot
in Old Phin Dady, the moonshiner's heart."

They presently went back to the others, and joined in the general
conversation, which, quite naturally enough, was pretty much confined to
the visit of the mountaineer, what he had spoken about, his suspicions,
and above all the strange interest he had taken in Thad's account of
the Boy Scout movement.

"Hello! there!" said a voice; and they saw Bob White stalk into camp.

One look at the face of the Southern boy told Thad that he had indeed
made a profitable trip, for he saw a smile there, such as had seldom
marked it in the past.

They quickly made room for him by the fire; while several of the boys
scouted around, to make sure that no spies lurked in the undergrowth,
listening to all that was said.

The fire crackled merrily, and looked very cheerful, as the ring of