"'Your' diary is good," laughed Mr. Moultrie. "Do you think it really was yours?"
"We found it," said John doggedly.
"By the same rule," said Mr. Moultrie, "the man that found this boy when he was lost in the gulch ought to own him. We took the diary all right, but it belonged to us anyway. We were only appropriating what was ours."
"What about that boat that was stove in?"
"That was an accident. We took one of the boats fully expecting to give it back to you within a day or two. We struck a rock and that's all there is to the story."
"But what about that pack?"
"Our supplies were all gone so we took the pack," laughed the man.
"Did Zeke know about it?" suddenly inquired Fred.
"I reckon he wasn't altogether lacking in information," laughed Moultrie.
"Then, why did you bring us all here?" demanded Fred, turning angrily upon the guide.