"well," began rand on the evening of the day on which the challenge had been received from the highpoint patrol, "what shall we do with this challenge?"

"accept it, av coorse," cried gerald. "shure, they can't bate us more thin foor miles."

"but we only row three," put in jack.

"thin it's a safe bet," went on gerald, "aven don might bet on that."

"what's that?" asked donald.

"that they won't bate us more than foor miles," replied gerald.

"in my opinion," began donald, "'tis no good accepting, for we have no boat, and if we did we have no time for practice, and---"

"can't you think of a few more while you are at it," laughed rand. "as for a boat we can get the use of the old shell of the creston club."

"and we no have any crew to speak of," continued donald.

"that's easily got over," went on rand. "there is jack, dick and you and i for the crew, with gerald for coxswain."

"and where do i come in?" questioned pepper.

"you don't come in," answered gerald. "you stand on the bank and root for us."

"root!" cried pepper; "what do you think i am--a pig?"

"that reminds me--" broke in dick.

"no it don't," objected donald; "we have no time to listen to your anecdotes."

"do you think we have any chance against them?" asked jack.

"i would no say we had no chance," replied donald; "but, in my opinion, 'tis no much to brag about."

"that reminds me--" began dick once more.

"what, against?" said donald.

"oh, let him get it off his mind," advised jack. "what does it remind you of?"

"it reminds me of the hunter that came over here from new york last fall and met old uncle zac williams back in the country and asked him if there was any hunting around here.

"'plenty of it," said uncle zac.

"'where is the best place to go?' asked the hunter.

"'oh, mos' anywhere,' said uncle zac; 'yo' can't miss hit.'

"so the hunter went on, and that night as he was going home he met uncle zac again.

"'hello!' he said, 'ain't you the man that told me there was plenty of hunting around here?'

"'i reckon i be,' replied uncle zac.

"'well, i've hunted all around here and i haven't seen the first thing to shoot.'

"'waal, ther wasn't nothin' ther matter with ther huntin' was ther?' said uncle zac."

"all right," said donald, when dick had finished, "we'll forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again."

the boys were in their club room in the attic of mr. scott's house, which had been given over to rand's use. by one of the windows was the instruments of a wireless station with which rand and his chums had experimented, and scattered about the room were golf clubs, baseball bats and other implements and apparatus of boyish sports.

"it isn't a question of winning or losing," went on rand. "there would not be any sport in it if we only went in when we thought we would win. we will do our best and if we lose we will cheer our loudest for the winners."

"that's the talk!" cried jack. "we may not win success, but we'll deserve it."

"then," continued rand, "we agree to accept the challenge of the highpoints. how's this for a reply?"

"to the highpoint patrol, greeting:

"the uncas patrol accepts with pieasure your courteous challenge to a contest on the hudson. time and place to be agreed upon."

"in my opinion," said donald, "you should say 'rowing match' as being more specific."

"all right," replied rand. "are there any further additions or amendments? if not, i will declare it approved as read."

"now, who will volunteer to carry it to highpoint?"

"i will!" cried dick.

"i will make the attempt," announced donald.

"lave it to me," said gerald.

"i'll take it," responded jack.

"i ought to be the one," pleaded pepper. "you know i am not in the race."

"you can't all go," decided rand; "how shall we settle it?"

"take a vote on it," suggested jack.

"we will each one write a name on a slip of paper and put it in the box," proposed pepper.

for a moment each boy was busy with paper and pencil and then the ballots were thrown upon the table to be counted by rand.

"each one of you has received one vote; you each voted for yourself," announced rand, when he had gone over them. "you will have to draw lots."

"let's toss up for it," said donald. "toss up your lucky penny, rand."

"how can you manage that?" asked jack, "there are five of us and only one penny."

"that's easily fixed," replied donald, "jack and i will toss first and the winner takes the next one."

"very well," agreed rand, "what do you say, jack?" giving the coin a toss in the air.

"head!" said jack.

"tail it is," returned rand, as he picked it up. "now, gerald, it is your choice."

"head," replied gerald.

"tail again," said rand.

"faith, thot's the toime tail came out a head," commented gerald.

"now, dick."

"head," replied dick.

"tail again," announced rand. "luck is with you, donald. there is only pepper left now."

"only pepper!" exclaimed that individual indignantly. "what is the matter with me?"

"notin' at ail, me darlint," broke in gerald; "shure, your the biggest banana in the bunch, av people only knew it."

"well, pepper?" said rand.

"heads."

"head it is," announced rand. "you're it, pepper."

"begorrah, 'tis a long tail that has no head," commented gerald.

"master pepper blake," began rand, "has been chosen to carry our message of defiance to the tribe of the highpoints."

"when do i go?"

"at the rise of the sun to-morrow," replied rand, "you must be prepared to take the trail."

"before breakfast?"

"we will not require that sacrifice of you," said rand. "here is the message. fail not on your honor to deliver it. you are going through a hostile country beset with enemies--"

"monkey rae's," murmured gerald.

"and the message must be delivered under all circumstances. it contains information of the utmost importance, which must not be allowed to fall into the enemies's hands. i will meet you to-morrow at the great oak to give you your final instructions."

"very well, sir," replied pepper, "i will not fail to carry out your commands to the letter."

"bravo, boys, well done!" commended mr. scott, who had been standing in the doorway, unseen by the boys, enjoying the fun. "if i was only a little younger, there is nothing i would like better than to be an indian brave with you."

for a moment the boys were silent in the presence of the bank president, whom they all regarded with more or less awe, until gerald broke the silence.

"shure, 'tis niver too late to have fun, mister scott," he said. "we'd be plased to have ye for one of us. we'll make ye prisident an' ye'll find it a hape more fun than bein' the prisident av the bank."

"i don't doubt it," replied mr. scott laughingly, "but i'm afraid i am almost too old to keep up the pace you set. but i'll tell you what i am going to do. i am going on an outing some of these days and i am going to invite you all to go along with me."

"hurrah!" cried the boys with a will.

"ready uncas!" called don, raising his bugle, "the scout salute!"

as the room rang with the noise mr. scott clapped his hands to his ears.

"thanks," he said; "mrs. scott sent me up here to see if there was anything the matter, you were so quiet, but after that i think she will conclude that you are all right."

"what is that you have there, rand?" he added as he caught sight of the coin that rand had been using to toss up. "where did you get it?"

"those are the ones that we found in the road," replied rand. "do you know what they are?"

"yes," answered mr. scott; "they are a political token issued in the time of van buren during the controversy over the currency. by the way, i shouldn't be surprised if these were some of the coins that were stolen out of judge taylor's office when it was broken into."

"then the robbers must have gone away over that road," mused rand, "and that is how they got there."

"that was doubtless the way of it," concluded jack.

"ay, but you thought there was some connection with them and monkey rae," reminded donald.

"are you sure there isn't?" answered jack.