Besides, if we kept 'em we'd soon begin to feel like thieves with other folks' property." "What are you going to do with these guns, then ?" "By tomorrow," Reade proposed, "I rather expect to put these guns out where Gage's crew can find them again." "Well, you're full of faith in human nature, then!" gasped Harry.
"Wait and see what happens," begged Tom.
When they stepped back into camp Tom threw the magazine of one of the rifles open, extracting the cartridges.

Then he stepped over and carefully deposited the rifle across the middle of the fire.
"I might have known!" cried Hazelton.
The other two rifles were soon disposed of in the same manner.
"Let the rifles cook in the fire for an hour," smiled Reade," and the barrels will be too crooked for a bullet ever to get through one again." "What are you going to do with the cartridges, though ?" "Fire a midnight salute with them," Tom answered briefly.

"Wait and you'll hear some noise." Alf Drew cautiously approached camp when he felt the pangs of hunger.

The cigarette fiend must have been satisfied, for Tom and Harry had already gotten the meal.

But Reade, without a word of rebuke to their supposed helper, allowed young Drew to help himself to all he wanted in the way of hot food and coffee.
Bringing midnight two hours nearer---that is to say, at ten o'clock, Tom and Harry, aided this time by Alf, built a large fire-pile in a gully at a safe distance from camp.