to that later."

"Now," began the colonel, when they had finished their meal,
unanimously voting it the best dinner they had ever eaten, "I know
you all have been wondering how I happened to be here when you came
along."

"Yes, sir," admitted Jack, "we were talking about you just before
we came ashore."

"Speaking of angels, I see," said the colonel. "The fact is, boys,
I've got a little shack down here in the woods and whenever I get
tired of town I come out here and get a breath of the woods, and
I was out here to-day."

"That was lucky for us," interjected Donald.

"Is that your house above here?" asked Rand, "the one covered with
bark. We saw it as we came along. Pepper was sure an outlaw lived
there."

"And you weren't so far out of the way at that, were you, Pepper?"
answered the colonel. "How would you like to take a look at it?"

"'Twould be most interesting," said Donald.

"Come along then. I see the enemy were out in force," he added when
they had gone part of the way.

"How was that?" asked Rand.