“A face at the window!  Some man was aboard I Oh!  I wonder if he saw me put that book away?” exclaimed the excited Thad.

“But where is he now?” and the speaker glanced toward the shore, which was a good twenty feet away, the gap being far too wide to allow of any man jumping it.

“There’s something moving away below there in the shadow of the trees on the water!” exclaimed Thad.

“A log, p’raps,” remarked the other, carelessly.

“But I did see a face, I’m sure of it; and if it was a man he just jumped into his skiff and put off before I could get out.  I wish I knew for sure.”

Thad made a move toward the little dinghy which lay upon the deck, fastened with a chain and padlock, so that it could not be stolen by any light-fingered coon.

“Hold on there, none of that.  Let me catch you chasing down-river after an unknown man in a skiff.  Why, he’d just as like as not upset you if you accused him of boarding our boat.  Settle down and try to forget it all.  I reckon it was only imagination after all.”

But Thad continued to shake his head, and declare that he did not believe his eyes could play him such a trick.

“If it was a man, Maurice, and he once saw all that money, why he’d come back again to try and steal it,” he said, solemnly.

“Oh, I guess not,” laughed his chum, holding up the gun in a suggestive way; “at least not as long as we could defend our property with this bully old shooter.  But better make up your mind it was a log, and let it go at that.”

“Wish I could,” grumbled Thad, shaking that stubborn head:  of his.

“Well, how about that trapping expedition—­plenty of steel in sight, and a nice fat young ringtail would be just the boss dish tomorrow.  Anything doing?”

So Thad once more consented to drop the engrossing subject of old The Badgeley’s treasure-trove, and pay attention to the matter of supplying their scanty larder with meat.

“Nothing to hinder my setting the whole outfit on the bank yonder, is there?” he demanded, entering the lighted cabin again, and thinking how snug it seemed after a short time on the cold deck.

“I don’t reckon there is, Chum Thad.  If one ’possum is good, two ought to some better, and as for three, oh! my!” and he smacked his lips as if in joy over the prospect of a feast.

Accordingly Thad carried out his plan.  With some dripping from fried bacon he greased each trap until the jaws worked readily.  Then he went ashore in the little tender, bearing the lantern in order to make sure of his work.

Maurice sat there and watched the shore.

There was no reason why he should fondle his gun all the while, but he persisted in doing so; which might be taken as an indication that the words of his companion had made a deeper impression on the scoffer than he would admit.

In half an hour Thad came aboard again, with cold fingers, but a satisfied air.