After the conclusion of their talk with Mr. Boone, the boys went out to take in a motion picture show, after finding there would be time to see the last performance.

On the way to the theatre, they stopped for a moment to watch a street fakir selling knives under the flaring light of a gasoline torch.

“Here you are, here’s a fine knife with your name and address inlaid in the handle!” he was shouting.

“I think I’ll get one of those for myself,” said Dick to his chums.

“What do you want of one, you have your good heavy scout knife, haven’t you?” queried Garry.

“Oh, I just want it as a curiosity for use when we come out of the woods; we won’t want to carry a great knife like that in civilian clothes,” replied Dick.

“We’ll miss the first of the show if you wait,” remarked Garry.

“Let the youngster have his way, Garry,” interrupted Phil with a laugh.

The street salesman made the name plate and quickly screwed the transparent handle back on the knife. Dick handed over the money and soon they were on the way to the movies.

They received a fine surprise when they reached there, for the picture being shown was one in which they had taken small parts when they encountered a crew of motion picture actors while they were at their first station in the woods, and when they had some stirring adventures the time Jean LeBlanc set fire to the woods, the motion picture people had been rescued by the boys. The picture was a decidedly good one and they enjoyed it.

The chums chattered during the play in a subdued tone, especially when there flashed on the screen the parts where they were playing roles. The water scene where Dick did some fine swimming was particularly good.

After the picture was over, they edged out through the crowd and returned to the hotel and were about to go up to their rooms when Garry had an idea.

“Say, boys, we are not going on such a secret affair now that we cannot have Sandy with us, so I am going to telegraph Nate and ask if he will bring us the dog tomorrow, or let us know by wire if he cannot.”

Sandy was the big Airedale dog owned by Garry, a canine that possessed almost as much sense as some humans. When they had gone on their mission to the border to capture the smugglers, they had left the dog in Nate’s keeping, as they were afraid that the sight of the dog would bring to mind who they were to any of their enemies, and they had made several in the course of their sojourn in the Maine woods.

To speak was to act with Garry, and he promptly made his way to the desk where the familiar blue lettered lamp was aglow.

The work of writing the message was short and then they went to their rooms, first stopping in to say good night to Mr. Boone, and advising him to see the motion picture the next day so that he could see them in their small parts.

This Mr. Boone promised to do, and soon all were sleeping the sound sleep of healthy boys with never a worry or care.

Morning came, and with it the boys arose and hastened to the dining room to make the most of the brief opportunity that they would have for the excellent hotel fare. They spent a part of the forenoon in overhauling and looking over their radio-phone equipment to see that it was all in perfect condition, for they had a hunch that it would come in very useful when they arrived at the cutting tract. This was to be proven true at a later date.

About ten o’clock they received a wire from Nate saying that he would arrive in Bangor about noon and would bring the Airedale with him. True to his promise in the telegram, the old guide appeared at the hotel shortly after the noon hour set in and with him was Sandy. The boys were seated in some of the arm chairs that dotted the lobby, and in less than a moment the dog had found his friends, and nearly knocked over half a dozen people in his haste and eagerness to reach the trio, for despite the fact that an Airedale is called a one man dog, he distributed his friendship equally among the three chums.

The boys were fully as glad to see their four-footed friend as he was to welcome them, and they cuffed and patted him strenuously.

“Wall, boys, there’s your pup, safe and sound as the day I took charge of him. And let me tell you, he is some dog. Saved me a considerable sum of money tother day, too,” announced Nate.

“Tell us about it,” asked Garry, as the three crowded around the old “State of Mainer” and shook hands with him heartily.

“There ain’t a whole lot to tell, ’cepting that a few days ago I sold a small tract of land that I had to a queer old codger who doesn’t believe in banks, and who paid me in bills. I believe in banks myself, but it was late when I made the deal so I had to stow the money away in the house. I locked it up as well as I could in a small desk in the sitting room, and went on to bed. ’Bout twelve o’clock I heard a tearing around downstairs and Sandy barking fit to raise the dead. I hopped downstairs as soon as I could reach for a rifle that stood in the corner of my bedroom, just in time to see Sandy going through an open window. I chased out after him, but someone was just driving away in an automobile as I got out of the window. Sandy ran the car down the road a piece, but came back beaten and tuckered out. He was fast, but not quite fast enough to catch the car, going at the rate it was. Well, I got back in through the window and looked around. The window had been forced open, and the burglar was just evidently about to force open the desk, for there were scratches about the lock and a heavy screwdriver was laying on the floor. I figure Sandy heard him from the kitchen, where he generally slept, and came in and drove him off just in time to save my money. So that’s all there is to that, but he is a mighty fine dog, and I hate to let go of him, even to his owner.”

The boys patted Sandy again and again as they listened to Nate’s story.

“Did you find any trace of the robber?” asked Garry.

“Nary a sign except the footprints on the lawn under the window. I figure it must have been someone that knew I got paid for the land that evening, and that I kept a little valuable stuff in the desk, but there is no proof or nothing to work on to determine who it might be. I don’t care anyway, as long as the invader didn’t get my money,” replied Nate.

The boys invited Nate to lunch with them, and this invitation he accepted, and calling Mr. Boone they went into the dining room. In a few moments they were joined by “Moose” Boone and the greeting between the two old friends was pleasant to see.

During the luncheon hour they told Nate of the new work the boys were going on, and while he expressed himself as sorry that they were not immediately going back on the fire patrol, he agreed that they, if anyone, could solve the mystery of the stolen timber and mishaps at the logging camp.

After luncheon the boys decided that since a day or two extra would not make any great difference in their plans, they would walk to the camp instead of riding in the hot stuffy train. They decided to start that afternoon, as soon as the sun began to lower, and make about ten miles of their fifty mile journey, sleeping out under the open as soon as it got too dark to walk any farther.

Garry’s father agreed that they could take what little extra time was needed to walk, and so it was settled.

The first business of the afternoon was to visit a large grocery store and purchase enough provisions to last them on the trip, for they would do their cooking over an open fire along the way.

“We’ll just buy enough to carry us over for two days, for we ought to reach the logging camp by late afternoon of the day after tomorrow,” announced Garry, the chosen leader of the trio on all expeditions.

“This suits me to a T,” remarked Dick. “Then we won’t have to carry so much extra stuff in our packs, and in this hot weather a few pounds saved is a boon.”

“Trust Dick not to want to carry too heavy a pack,” laughed Phil.

“That’s nothing to laugh about,” protested Dick hotly, “that’s just good common sense. It’s——”

Then he perceived that his chums were ragging him a bit so he grinned and turning on his heel started for the door, followed by the two laughing boys.

The buying of the groceries took but a short time, and soon the bags were packed and they were ready for their trip.

Goodbyes were said to Nate and Mr. Boone, and the trio set out on their long hike.

“Good luck, boys, and I sincerely hope that you find what you are looking for, because my affairs are in a ticklish position just at present and unless I find the cause of the disturbance and thefts at the camp, I will be in a very serious way,” said Mr. Boone as he shook hands with the three boys.

“Guess they can settle the matter if anyone can,” remarked Nate as he bade the boys goodbye. “They have done some pretty fine work for boys lately and I look to see them get to the nigger in the wood-pile and roust him out pretty shortly. Then mebbe they can come back and take over the patrol for the rest of the summer.

“We’re good for about eight miles tonight, fellows,” said Garry as they started, “for it will be at least three hours before it gets too dark to walk any farther,” said Garry.

“Have you the route all set in your mind?” asked Phil.

“Yes, I looked over a road map very carefully this morning, and the manager at the hotel garage gave me some other directions so that we cannot go very far wrong,” answered Garry.

They passed well out of Bangor and were going along a country road, just as the sun was setting, when a chugging automobile was heard back of them. Soon a ramshackle old flivver drew up near them, driven by a young farmer lad.

He sized up the boys, then stopped his machine and asked:

“Going far?”

“On to Colter,” answered Garry.

“Gosh, that’s a pretty good spell to walk,” answered the farmer boy. “I’m going on about four miles more; would you like a lift for that distance?”

“You bet we would,” broke in Dick.

This brought a laugh from the others, and they accepted the lift, for it meant saving almost an hour on their way.

They piled into the old flivver, and soon were rolling speedily along the road. Despite its aged and decrepit appearance the car made excellent time, and the boys commented on this.

“Yep, she’s a pretty good old boat,” answered the boy. “I don’t have much time to tinker with the looks of the thing on the outside, but I manage to keep the engine in pretty good condition. You can’t keep a farm car looking up to time every minute. Well, I turn in here in a minute, so I guess this is as far as you can ride, unless another car comes along. Will you come in and have a bite to eat?”

The chums thanked him cordially but refused his invitation, saying that they would cook their own meal an hour or so later.

Garry looked up at the sun and then remarked to his chums:

“It will be dark in two hours, and we can make just about six miles in that time without exerting ourselves too much. We haven’t done much of anything all day so if we want to let out a bit we can tack on an extra mile in that time and so save ourselves a bit of extra walking tomorrow. Let’s go.”

Hitching up their packs, the trio of chums set off at a brisk pace. The setting of the sun made it much cooler and the walking was pleasant. They passed through a small village and were well on the outskirts where the houses were beginning to get scattered, and they were deciding how far to proceed before picking a spot to camp for the night when they heard a call for help and the sounds of a scuffle. In the gathering gloom they could not see where the trouble was, but hastening towards the spot from where the voices seemed to come, they approached a bend in the road, and turning, saw two men attacking a third.

The attackers seemed to be rough specimens of humanity, while the third was a young man, fairly well dressed. This gave the affair the aspect of a robbery instead of a quarrel among a lot of ruffians, so calling his chums to hurry, Garry threw his rifle to his shoulder and shouted to the attacking party to throw up their hands.

The surprised thugs took one look at the business-like rifle in Garry’s hands, and then deciding that they might perchance overpower him seemed to be on the verge of rushing toward him when Phil and Dick turned the bend in the road. Seeing that they were outnumbered, and with no thought of the fact that the boys might fire on them, they turned on their heels and ran. Garry was about to send a shot flying after them when the young man who had been the subject of the attack called to Garry to let them go.

Just then he toppled over and fell at full length at Garry’s feet.