Just then some one shouted from the house: "Here, Brave, come here, where are you?"
Bob recognized Fred Jenkins' voice and then he heard two persons coming toward him. Quickly he grabbed hold of the dead animal and dragged it into some thick bushes. Hardly had he done this and dodged back behind the tree, when he heard Fred and Will Jenkins within a few feet of where he was standing.
"Where do you suppose that dog went to?" he heard Fred say.
"I don't know, but I guess likely he heard a rabbit or something and has gone on a chase after it," replied Will, adding a moment later, "Let's go back to the house. If he's on a rabbit trail we won't see him till morning."
"No, I guess you won't," chuckled Bob as, much relieved, he heard them making their way back through the bushes. He waited till he thought they had had time to get back, then carefully creeping on his hands and knees he slowly approached the house.
The front porch, as he knew, was built up from the ground, being faced with lattice work, while both ends were open. Carefully creeping closer, he slipped through the open end of the porch and stretched himself at full length on the ground. To his great disappointment he heard nothing for some time and was about to crawl out when he heard a door bang over his head, and the creaking of chairs told him that the boys had come out on the porch. To his delight he found that he could hear perfectly all that was said. For some time they talked about things of no interest to our hero, and he was getting pretty badly cramped from lying so long in one position, for he did not dare move, but just then he heard Will Jenkins say:
"Fred, when are you going to take those caps down to the city and have them analyzed?"
"Oh, some time the first of the week," was the reply, then he added, "If it wasn't for the race I'd take them down tomorrow."
"Oh, well, I guess next week will do just as well, but I want it done as soon as possible," he heard Will say; then after a short pause he added: "I suppose those two swell heads will make a big howl, but they can't prove anything, and we have sure put them out of the race tomorrow."
"Perhaps we can't prove it," thought Bob, "but here's betting that we come pretty near it."