that's all!" eja

ed up with pride over our success, and here you g

ut on this hobo chase; and here it's turned out too easy for anything. Shucks! a tenderfoot might have followed that Wandering George right along to he

hy, I figured on doing all sorts of smart stunts while we were on th

tell us to sheer off, and give the hoboes a chance to run away, just to let us keep up this chase. We promised to recover that old army coat for the j

eyes. "Much as we all like the sport of showing what we know in the way of woodcraft, duty comes f

chase as some of the others; for Smithy of late, Thad noticed with regret, was apparently losing some of his f

hing by planning a complete surround,

iraffe; "because it'll be apt to take some of the sting

that they suspect our being here. We'll arrange it so as to surround the camp, and then at a signal from me everybody stand up

detachment was told what was expected of

most able to undertake the difficult part of the work, while to Smithy and Bumpus was delegated the

The remaining four scouts branched off to the south, and it was the intention of Thad, taking Davy Jones along, to continue th

o the south, and then curbing their impatience until Thad

enabled them to bring to bear on the matter all the knowledge they had managed to accumulate connected with the real tactics of

hat they were to turn to one side, and begin advancing towa

on, however, as they headed toward the hub of the wheel, which was marked by the cooking fire, Thad and his companion did not hesit

would give one of his little chuckles, telling that the si

use for a cooking blaze that any practical scout must curl his lip in disdain, knowing how

eing genuine tramps. A dozen signs pointed to this fact; and he found hi

ard this extra weight when keeping so close to a warm blaze. Doubtless, the object of their search would be found near

he hope that during their chase after the lost army coat they might happen to r

bo camp, they could take it for granted when they finally reached the position the sc

the patrol had in times past perfected himself in making just that sort of sound, and of course they would immediate

g; but none from Bumpus and Smithy. Evidently, something had happened to cause a delay there. Thinking they had what they migh

d jumped to their feet in alarm, Thad did not consider it wise to delay the exposure of their

hes they saw figures in khaki rise up, some of them bearing threatening guns.

the militia, for the sight of those khaki suits must have stunned them. Before they could gathe

des; and keep them

tening that both hoboes immediately elevated their hands, as though desirous of le

ourse was the smoky fire, alongside of which those two old tomato cans stood, e

pon the wall of their meeting room in the home town, some of the scouts may have pro

ne pair of boys and then at another lot, as though

they must have believed that the strong arm of the law had found them out, and that th

that's what!" grumbled

could not bear the idea of being on a team that outclassed its rival in every department; a tough struggle was what appea

emark, just to show them that he too hoped there might have been some warm action before the tramps surrend

o did it, we've gone and copied after him. I say, we ought to go home by a roundabout course, so as to

erhaps a faint hope had begun to possess them that after all things mig

ith thumb and forefinger, as though the near presence of the tattered hoboes offended his olfactory nerves; for as has been said before,

when they saw the smile on his face a feeling

d?" asked Davy J

the coop?" demanded Giraffe, who did not fancy being so close t

scout master, with an eloquent shrug of his shou

l us that we're on the wrong trail, and that neither

y were hatched, that's all. Stop and remember the descriptions we've had of th

no doubt, there was passing through each boy's mind that description of the man who had gone off with th