could they have settled on? If they are sharp at all, they would
understand that a story of a child brought on from Washington would
set us in motion--would be likely to get us into a trap!"

They scrambled on down the slope for some distance, too busy keeping
upright to do any talking, then Frank went on.

"You know very well that I'm no prophet of evil, Ned, but it looks to
me that we have betrayed our mission here by taking such an interest
in the child. Would a lot of boys looking for snap-shots trail off in
the night to see a boy when they might have taken a look at him the
next day?"

"If I know anything about human nature" Ned answered, "those two
people ahead of us are honest. If it is a frame-up, they are not in
it."

"Anyway," Frank went on, "I'm glad the plans were changed by the
arrival of Buck. It is much better for us to meet whatever is coming
to us side by side than to have me sneaking back in the distance!"

Ned agreed to this, and the two quickened their pace in order to come
up with Buck and Mrs. Brady, who were now turning from the west to
the south, keeping along the slope of the mountain. Directly they
came to a narrow trail which led into a green valley.

Following this, they soon came to a couple of acres of cleared land,
in the middle of which stood a rough cabin of peeled logs. A dim
light came from a square window by the door, and there came from the
interior the sound of a man's voice humming a song.