At Oakes's suggestion we carried him back to the hut, which I ascertained was now quite empty. It was a grewsome experience, this. Oakes refused to allow a match to be struck, saying: "Don't draw their fire, Stone; we may be in a nest of them." My chagrin was deep as I thought of the opportunity that my clumsiness had brought to naught. We soon succeeded in reviving our man; he had been felled by a fist blow on the face, evidently. "Did you see the other fellow?" asked my companion. "Yes, sir, I saw one; he was Skinner. I caught his face in the lantern light just as they doused it." "Indeed!" cried Oakes. "Skinner! You mean the man who runs the newspaper--the one I have ordered shadowed." "Yes, sir; the same. It was he who was counting the money." "Yes, that agrees. Go on. Who was the other?" "I did not see him at all, Mr. Oakes, but I ran into him, or rather he into me. I have a piece of his shirt here, sir." The man handed something to Oakes, and together we peered at it in the dim morning light. We soon determined that it was a good-sized piece of the neck of a shirt. Then, watching carefully the woods around, I stood on guard, while Oakes examined the inside of the hut. It was an old hunter's cabin evidently, and had not been recently used. The table was made of rough boards, and was supported by two stumps. It might have served as a place to lie upon also. Oakes uttered an exclamation, as the guide handed him a piece of paper money that was on the floor. Nothing else was found. The lantern had gone with the men. "One man was giving money to the other to get him away, and nearly lost his life in defense of the rest in his possession. This is a piece of a bill torn off in the struggle," said Oakes. "Do you recognize this shirt pattern?" asked he. "Yes, sir," said our guide; "it is like what O'Brien wears." "Exactly!" said Oakes. "And you"--he addressed the man--"come with us to the road. Can you walk that far?" "Yes, indeed. I am all right now, but I was finished for a few minutes." "You were knocked out well," remarked Oakes; "lucky you were not killed." We returned to River Road by the way we had come, arriving there as dawn was breaking and the sun beginning to throw his rays across the plateau before us. We found our horses and the man who had escorted us from Mona. Oakes spoke to him: "Here, Bob, let Paul ride on your horse; he has had a smash. You walk. Both of you go to the Mansion and tell the others to find O'Brien, if possible. Paul will explain. Make no arrests, but don't let your man get away." We vaulted into our saddles and galloped ahead. As we were returning to headquarters by way of the Corners I felt like a culprit; I was devoured by chagrin, and thoroughly ashamed of my awkwardness.