For a moment the ungainly man appeared to be somewhat confused; then, rising from his seat and throwing back his shoulders, he said proudly, "I could not leave those diamonds on my conscience. I had to tell you about it." "I wonder if that is the real reason. Did you get all the pay that Mr. Halsey promised you?" "Not yet," said Rufus, "but I will have it pretty soon. What are you laughing at!" he demanded abruptly as he turned toward the boys who were all manifestly enjoying the scene. "We're laughing to think that Halsey gave up his goods rather than take a chance of an arrest. Of course he did not know that we had them. By the way, Mr. Button, do you think it is right for us to take them?" "Right! Why not?" demanded Mr. Button. "Why, they aren't ours." "That is true. They belong to the United States, or will very soon." "But you took them on Canadian soil." "Did I take them?" inquired Mr. Button smiling as he spoke. "No, we took them," acknowledged Fred. "Perhaps we'll get into trouble." "You need have no fear of that. They were simply confiscated on one side of the line instead of on the other and really this man Halsey has no just claim to them." "This has been a great summer," said Fred enthusiastically. "There's been something stirring every day. We have been going from one excitement to another about as fast as we could go. But now we have come to the end." "Oh, no," laughed Mr. Button. "You haven't gotten to the end by any manner of means. Go ahead boys never turn backward. I think you will find that you have still more exciting experiences before you." "Then we'll go ahead and try them," laughed John. "But not to-night," said Fred. "We'll be in Mackinac in a little while." "It doesn't make any difference," declared John. "We'll go ahead wherever we are." THE END End of Project Gutenberg's The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island, by Ross Kay