"Ha!" cried Andrew Felps, with interest. "You are certain of that?"

"I am."

"And you---you-----" The lumber dealer paused.

"In a roundabout way I met the fellow who had the papers. For a consideration he let me have them. If you want them you can have them---provided you will pay the price."

CHAPTER x.x.x

WORDS AND A BLOW

The boy hunters had listened to the foregoing conversation with intense interest. There could be no doubt but what this Barrock was the man they were after. His tale that he had procured the missing papers from somebody else was pure fiction---gotten up merely to deceive Andrew Felps.

"We ought to make him a prisoner on the spot," whispered Shep.

"Wait---I want to learn what Andrew Felps will do," murmured Snap.

"You want me to buy the papers from you, eh?" said Andrew Felps, after a pause.

"Yes," answered Lush Barrock, boldly.

"Don't you know that you have no right to the doc.u.ments?"

"Oh, I don't want you to preach to me, Andy Felps. If you want the papers, say so. If not-----"

"If not, what?"

"Maybe I'll return them to the Barnaby folks. I understand Mr. Dodge offered a reward for them."

"What do you want for the papers?" asked Andrew Felps, cautiously.

"They ought to be worth several thousand dollars, but you can have them for one thousand dollars."

"Nonsense, Barrock! What would I do with the papers?"

"Destroy them."

"What, after giving you a thousand dollars for them?"

Lush Barrock nodded. "It's this way, Felps," he said. "If you get this contract out of the way I am sure you can make another contract---for your own company. The Spur Road folks feel sore, and I know you can fix matters up with old Haley, who is a miser, and willing to do almost anything for money."

"Have you the papers with you?"

"Do you want to buy them?"

"I want to see what I am getting, first."

Lusher Barrock made a movement as if to take something from his breast-pocket.

Just at that moment heavy footsteps sounded out directly behind the four boy hunters, and two men belonging to the Felps crowd appeared upon the scene.

"Hullo! What are you youngsters doing here?" demanded one of the men.

"We---we came over on business," stammered Snap. He hardly knew what to say, the meeting was such an unexpected one.

"Who is there?" cried out Andrew Felps, and ran around the edge of the rocks. "What, you! Where did you come from?"

Andrew Felps was followed by Lush Barrock. When the fellow who had robbed the sawmill saw Snap and his chums he was almost struck dumb.

"See here," began Andrew Felps, his face growing dark, "what do you-----"

"Stop him!" yelled Snap, and pointed to Lush Barrock, who had suddenly taken to his heels. "Stop him, somebody!"

Snap made a dash after the robber, and was followed by his three chums. Barrock was a good runner, and soon disappeared into the bushes.

"We must catch him!" panted Snap. "We must not let him get away!"

He went on after Lush Barrock with all speed. The course was through the bushes and over some rocks. Then, of a sudden, a voice sounded out ahead:

"Stop, all of you! If you don't, I'll fire!"

"Oh, Snap, do you think he will fire at us?" gasped Giant, and came to a halt, followed by the rest.

"If you fire, so will we!" sang out Snap, and brought around his shotgun. But no answer came back, and now Lush Barrock was both out of sight and hearing.

Yet the boy hunters did not give up the chase. They followed the trail as best they could to a brook, but there lost it in the water. Then they hunted around for a good quarter of an hour, but without avail.

"Too bad!" groaned Snap. "Oh, how I wish I had put my hands on that rascal!"

"He is certainly a bad one," was Whopper's comment.

"Yes, and Andrew Felps is almost as bad," said Shep. "He would have bought those papers."

They retraced their steps toward the lake, and soon met Andrew Felps and his companions.

"Did you catch him?" asked the lumber dealer, nervously.

"No," was Snap's short answer.

"Do you know him?" went on Andrew Felps, curiously.

"I know him to be the man who robbed the sawmill and set the place on fire."

"Is that so?"