"All right. Boys, this yar is Jack Long, sheriff from Carson, a white man clean through. He'll guv yer a squar' deal." The boys shook hands with the officer, after which the latter said: "This man with me is Silas Jones, of Michigan, relation to my wife, somehow or other. He is thinking of locating out this way." Jones grinned all over his bearded face, shook hands in a strong, blundering fashion, and said: "I swan if this ain't a great country, out here! Beats all natur! But I don't feel to hum, fer I was raised right in ther middle of the woods, an' there's too much open land out this way. I don't mean right round here, you understand; but I've seen more'n forty thousan' miles of prairie sence comin' out this way, an' it makes me lonesome." Having expressed himself thus, he sat down on a box and relapsed into silence, listening to the others and grinning now and then, but seldom speaking unless addressed. Big Gabe urged them all to sit down, and they did so. He then directed Frank Merriwell to relate to the sheriff the story of his adventures since meeting Isa Isban on the train, and the boy was obliged to go over the ground once more. Bart was impatient, thinking how much time was being wasted; but he held himself in check as far as possible. The dark-eyed boy noticed that Silas Jones listened to Frank's story with great attentiveness, apparently greatly interested in the narrative. When the boy had finished, Blake explained how his sailboat had been engaged by a pleasure party of four persons, two men, a woman and a girl, and how they had failed to return with it, making it impossible for him to pursue the man and the girl who ran off with his canoe. "Then you saw the man and girl?" asked Long. "I did that," nodded the giant. "An' I said a few things ter them, but it wuz a case uv wasted breath." The sheriff seemed to hesitate, doubtfully, and then Frank spoke: "Mr. Blake believes he knows where the retreat of the counterfeiters is, and he has offered to guide us there." "How about it?" asked Long, quickly. "Is it right?" "Wa-al, purty nigh right. I reckon I do know whar they're located, an' I offered ter guide ther party ef you brung a good crowd with yer. You only brung one man." "Here are five of us, in all," said Frank. "Two of us may be boys, but it is possible we can fight harder than you imagine." "If such a thing can be avoided, we do not want to fight at all," said Long. "We want to take the makers of the queer by surprise and capture them in a strategic manner." Silas Jones nodded. "Either that or send for plenty of officers ter ketch 'em on ther jump," he said. "Ther United States Secret Service men would be mighty tickled ter git such a show." Long gave Jones a peculiar look. "The Secret Service men may be mighty glad if they get an opportunity to play second fiddle in this affair," he said. Whereat the man from Michigan grinned, but made no further remark.