boys still stood grouped beside the stone wall. Beany held a
flattened bullet in his hand. It had struck beside him.





CHAPTER III

ON THE TRAIL


"If it hadn't been for you and your rock, young man, I would have
been a dead man probably," said the Colonel solemnly. "I wish we
had the car number."

"I got it," said Porky, easily. "They will change it, I suppose,
but it is New York 237,814. And there's a patch on the right
front tire, and the mud guard on that side has been bent and
straightened, and the glass in the wind shield has a crack in one
corner, and the staple on the tool box is broken."

"Oh, you know the car!" said the Colonel, eagerly. "Tell me that
number again." He wrote rapidly, and called to his orderly.
"Telephone that to Syracuse after you call Fayetteville," he
said, and again turned to the boys, but almost before he could
speak again, he was called to the 'phone himself. When he came
out, he frowned.

"The car passed through the village about ten minutes ago," he