In Camp on the Big Sunflower

the first to recover

on the sleepy folks of Carson when we come marching home with a pocketful of valuable fresh-water pearls, that would give the Ranger Boys all the money they need to carry out

again, as if unable to who

o ourselves, it looks like we might be poac

o his bitter disappoint

l that upon an occasion like this every member

"perhaps it's that little prowle

ndy-legs, his face light

f the shells," Owen went on, "but it was a man's big footprint

suddenly asked Steve, turning aroun

o let his cousin do the talking, for he h

to, however, he was not at

examined that pile of shells," he started in to say, "and

eve we do, Max," was Tob

e; "because we're all dyed-in-the-wool c

nderstand, wanting to know. And none of us come fr

rging him on. Nor could he fail to be deeply touched b

the light of other matches," he continued; "and on many of

to what you're going to

not slow, if his speec

declare. "Whoever is up here must be collecting them just for the sake of the mother of pea

wen. "The price is high enough to pay some men for collect

se parties are onto the pearl r

ecting the empty shells, and never dreaming how one little pearl like this would be worth perhaps

ind as to what would be a safe h

mall cardboard box about two inches long by one wide, and half as thick; which, in

prove useful in camp, were deposited in its capacious depths. And when anything was wa

casion to remark, as he watched how carefully Max pushed

here," Steve declared, with

ing around. And Max is so ready to wake up that he'd

ve any trouble with the

teve de

their business at all. Fact is, we'd just as lief turn over what shell

so be we're lucky enough to r

on the waters of the Big Sunflower. So we have just as much right up here as they do. But we're a pe

we're set on having peace eve

is, they'd b-b-better think twice before t-t-trying to b

y-legs, clapping his hands a

" wound up Toby, shutting his teeth hard on

the nerve to try and steal that bully little gem we've captured first

everal boys were mentioned; and from the way Bandy-legs and Toby expressed opinions of those same s

river voyage before daybreak, while Ted Shafter, Amiel Toots, Shack Beggs, and

igh j-j-jinks of a time to-day when Ted f-f-f

t one of the crowd spying on us. That's why we had to keep ou

a chance to upset our plans. Ten to one the prowler old Stump scared away night before last was Ted hims

cent," declared Bandy-legs, given to boas

d perhaps, even if Ted and his scrappers do work up along this way, they won't find us. If we'r

right there, M

's crowd are snapping at each other to beat the band. Every little while a

ppers, just as neat as you please. Ted likes that way of keeping the peace. I

five boys sat around the crackling fire, talking, writing

no long

er; and while the trees prevented those in camp from getting all the benefit of this

y was yawning about every minute, while Bandy-legs rubbed his e

, himself feeling the effect of getting up at three o'clock

from poling that clumsy old boat up-river. And once I hit

Toby, so suddenly that he ac

erve; and immediately a chorus of approval was

und, eager to pick up what crumbs had fallen from their table. The big moon climbed higher and higher in the cl

r, just as one of his

be, if there happened to be any unusual mo

en dead to the world at the time someth

high that he knew some

course, first of all thought of Ted Shafter and his cronies, and won

d a suspicion that perhaps one of them had invaded the ca

his eyes toward the tent pole where the ha

one standing there, and ac

e of Max he recognized

as S