When Amos, a little later, left them to saunter down to the brink of the river, in order to give his mottled pony a last drink before leaving him at the end of his rope to crop grass the remainder of the night, Jack turned to the scout master and gave expression to his convictions as follows: "Well, it looks like your old luck holds good, Ned, and that you stand a chance of running across your game the very first thing after getting here. If this Clem Parsons Amos tells us about turns out to be the same man the Government wants you to tackle, he'll be walking into the net any old time from now on. Why, we may run across him tomorrow or the day afterwards, who knows?" "He's the right party," said Ned, quietly. "I asked Amos if he had a scar on his cheek, and he said it gave Clem a look as though he was grinning all the time, a sort of sneering expression, I imagine. And as you say, Jack, I'm in great luck to strike a hot trail so early in the hunt. Given the chance, and I'll have Mr. Clem Parsons on the way to Los Angeles, by rail, with a hop, skip and a jump." "He's a nifty character, all right," remarked Jimmy; "and trains with a hard crowd out here, so we'll all have to pitch in and help lift him. Four of us, armed with rifles as we are, ought to be enough to flag him." "One thing in our favor," ventured Jack, "is that he'll never for a minute dream of being afraid of a pack of Boy Scouts. While he might keep a suspicious eye on every strange man he meets, and his hand ready to draw a gun, he'll hardly give us a second look. That's where we can get the bulge on Clem, and his ignorance is going to be his undoing yet." "Perhaps we'd better be a little careful how we mention these things while Amos is around," Ned went on to say. "But sure, you don't think that little runt would peach on us, do you?" demanded Jimmy, who had apparently taken a great liking for the diminutive puncher. "Certainly not," answered Ned, "but you understand one of the things that goes to make a successful Secret Service operator is in knowing how to keep his own counsel. He's got to learn all he can about others, and tell as little about himself as will carry him through. So please keep quiet about my wanting to invite this Clem Parsons to an interview with the Collector in Los Angeles." Jimmy promptly raised his hand.