They took the turn that Pud had passed by the night before and almost at once debouched into Two-Pond Run. It was annoying to reflect that had he taken it, too, he would have found Tim and Harmon without difficulty. Still, in that case perhaps he wouldn’t himself have been discovered by the police launch, and if he hadn’t he would have missed all the exciting incidents of the morning. ‘You reckon they went on out, don’t you?’ the sheriff was inquiring of Mr. Kinsey. ‘’Tain’t likely, I suppose, they’d maybe run up around into Little Fox or Marsh Creek.’ ‘Not a bit,’ was the reply. ‘When this fellow Thorbourn saw his boat going off down the stream last night, he must have figured that the jig was up. Maybe he didn’t know who was in it, Sheriff, but he did know he’d left this bundle of the queer in it, and I guess he figured that River Swamp wasn’t healthy any longer. We’ll find they’ve made for the railroad, I guess. Some one’s bound to have seen that motor-boat between here and Corbin.’ ‘They could get the train at Corbin,’ said the sheriff. ‘Not without being seen by too many folks. They want to save the press and the plates. If they hadn’t, they’d have destroyed them back there, Sheriff. I thought maybe they had. Thought I might find them in the creek. But they hadn’t. Took them with them and will look for new headquarters somewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d gone right on down the river to Mumford.’ The _Kismet-Jolly Rodger-Vengance_ was just where they had left her an hour and a half before, and the boys were soon transferred. The skiff was untied from the police launch and made fast to the stern of the other. Pud was none too cheerful about the change, for he would vastly have preferred staying with the sheriff and Mr. Kinsey and the round-faced Mr. Casey and sharing in the further pursuit of the counterfeiters, but that, of course, was out of the question. ‘Reckon,’ said the sheriff, ‘you can’t get lost going down, boys. Follow the Run straight south, past First Pond, and you’ll come out at The Flat. Then it’s two miles, about, to Corbin. And, say, when you get there, if I was you I’d stop and telephone your folks. I’ll get word to them, too, but I reckon maybe they’d like to hear from you personal.’ ‘All right, sir,’ agreed Pud. ‘And thanks for finding us, and everything. And I hope you’ll catch the counterfeiters.’ ‘Well, this gentleman here’ll have to worry about that,’ chuckled the sheriff. ‘But from what I hear of his crowd, those counterfeiters haven’t got a chance! You expecting to get back home to-night?’ ‘Gee, I don’t know,’ answered Pud. ‘I guess it’s too far, though.’ ‘Well, maybe ’tis. Anyway, you talk to your folks and fix it all right with them, son. And, say, if you stop at Livermore going up, come in and see me. Any one’ll tell you where to find my office. Maybe I mightn’t be in, but if I was I’d be glad to see you and show you ’round a bit. What say, Casey?’