“What’s the trouble, Freddie?” laughed Grant.  “You act either as if you don’t believe us or something happened.”

“Well, I’m not sure, but something did happen,” said Fred slowly.

“What was it?  Tell us your story,” demanded John.

“Either I dreamed or else I surely saw two men moving about the camp.  There was a moon and the place was almost as light as day.”

“Who were the men?” demanded Grant.

“Perhaps they weren’t ‘men’ at all,” replied Fred, who was certain now that he was safe from ridicule.

“Do you think they were our visitors?”

“Yes,” replied Fred promptly, “that’s exactly what I do think.”

“What were they doing?” asked John.

All the Go Ahead Boys were now deeply interested in Fred’s statement and eager to hear what more he might say.

“I saw the two figures moving about the camp and at first I thought they were some of you.  Pretty soon, however, I made up my mind that they weren’t.  I turned over on my side and pretended to be asleep, though I was watching these men all the time.”

“Why didn’t you wake us up?” demanded John.

“Because I wasn’t sure that I myself didn’t need waking up.”

“You’re a great lad,” said John scornfully.  “Zeke,” he called, turning to the guide, “Fred thinks he saw those two men that were in our camp last night come back.”

The guide looked keenly at Fred, and it was plain he instantly was interested and perhaps alarmed.

“What were they doin’?” he asked slowly.

“Why, they were moving about the camp,” replied Fred.  “It didn’t seem to me they were here more than five or ten minutes but just as I was about to call you or the boys they disappeared.”

Zeke said no more as he turned at once to the place where the garments and implements of Simon Moultrie had been placed.

The four boys were aware now that the guide was somewhat alarmed and instantly all four ran to join him.

“You see it is gone,” said Zeke blankly as he displayed the empty pockets in the coat of the dead prospector.

“Gone!” exclaimed the Go Ahead Boys together.

“It isn’t here anyway.”

“You mean his diary?” demanded Fred.

“That’s exactly what I mean.  Your dream was a nightmare and it’s likely to be a still bigger one for us.”

“Do you think those men took that diary?” asked Grant.

“You can see for yourself,” retorted Zeke gruffly.

“Maybe you put it somewhere else,” suggested George.

“Huh!” snapped the guide.  “I left it right in the pocket.  Eight in that there pocket,” he added as he again displayed the coat.

“What did they want of it?” inquired John.

“They wanted what you told them about.”

“I didn’t tell them anything about anything,” said John angrily.

“The trouble with you, Jack, is that you can’t read between the lines.  You see, those men were not born yesterday and they could put two and two together.”