"You know well enough why we didn't let you have the ammunition," answered Snap. "You didn't deserve it."

"Humph! Just wait, and you'll find out—-" The man did not finish.

"Now I want you two boys to go away—-and stay away!" cried Andrew Felps. "If you are bound for Lake Narsac better be on your way."

"We can't go until we have found our missing boat," said Whopper. "It must be somewhere on this lake."

"Make them go away," said Giles Faswig, and then he whispered something in the rich lumber dealer's ear. Whatever he had to tell made Andrew Felps grin.

Snap and Whopper saw the whispering and the grin, and instantly they suspected some trick. They well remembered what a rage Faswig had been in when they had refused to let him have any, ammunition.

"Look here, if you know anything about our boat I want to know it," said Whopper, without stopping to think twice.

"Your boat?" repeated Vance Lemon, and then he looked at Giles Faswig, who winked.

"Yes, our boat," repeated Whopper. "We tied it to a tree last night and now it is gone."

"I didn't touch your boat," growled Andrew Felps.

"Nor did I," put in Vance Lemon.

"You had better be gone about your business," came from Giles Faswig. "We didn't come up here to be bothered by a lot of kids."

"We want our boat—-and we are bound to get it," said Snap, firmly.

"Well, go find it," cried Andrew Felps.

"We want to know if anybody in this camp knows anything about the boat."

Just then a boy of eight or nine years of age came out of one of the tents, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Uncle Giles," he said, walking up to Faswig, "where are we going to-day, and what are you going to do with that boat you brought in when I woke up last night?"



CHAPTER XIII

IN THE CAMP OF THE ENEMY

Snap and Whopper listened to the words of the small boy with keen interest. Instantly they came to the conclusion that the lad must be speaking of their own craft.

"Hush, Dick!" cried Giles Faswig, hastily. "You go back in the tent and stay there until these strangers go away."

"What boat did your uncle bring in last night?" asked Snap, walking up to the lad.

"See here, you leave my nephew alone!" roared Faswig.

"Can't I speak to him?"

"No, I don't want him talking to the likes of you."

"He said you brought in a boat last night when he woke up," came from Whopper. "Was it our boat?"

"None of your business!" snapped Giles Faswig, and as he spoke he took his nephew by the arm and turned him back into one of the tents. "Stay there, now mind!" he added, in a low, tense voice.

"It's a good deal of our business," said Snap, "if it was our boat."

"Come on and take a look around," added Whopper, and started for the other side of the cove, where a mass of brushwood and overhanging trees screened a portion of the water from view.

Giles Faswig strode up to the two young hunters and caught Snap by the arm. The next instant the hand was shaken off violently and the youth stood before the man with blazing eyes and doubled-up fists.

"Don't you try that again, Mr. Faswig," said Snap, in a cold, measured voice. "You have no right to touch me."

"And you have no right in this camp."

"You clear out!" came from Andrew Felps. "I don't want you around another minute."

Faswig stepped in front of the boys and so did Felps and Lemon. All three of the men looked ugly, and Snap and Whopper did not know what to do.

"Mr. Felps," began Snap, after a painful pause, "I want you to listen to what I have to say. Last night our rowboat with our outfit on board disappeared. I don't know if it drifted off or was stolen. If it was stolen, and we find it out, somebody is going to be arrested for the theft."

"Ha! do you call me a thief!" burst out the lumber dealer, in a rage.

"Not at all I am only telling you a few plain facts. We have every reason to believe our boat is somewhere around this camp. If it is I want to know if you are going to give it up peaceably, or if we'll have to send down to town for an officer of the law?

"You—-you—-" commenced Andrew Felps, and then looked at Giles Faswig, who had turned slightly pale.

"This may not be a serious business to you but it is to us," continued Snap. "There are four of us in our party, and if you have our boat, we can all testify to that fact. Three of us can stay here and watch you while the fourth goes for the officer."

"Do you think we'd steal a measly rowboat?" asked Vance Lemon, but he glanced at Faswig as he spoke, and his tone was an uneasy one.

"I don't know what you'd do. But that boy, said something about bringing in a boat last night, and I want to know if it is our boat."

"How do I know whose boat it is?" growled Giles Faswig.

"Has it got the name Snapper on it?" asked Whopper.

"I didn't notice. I saw a boat drifting on the lake and hauled it in, that's all," answered Giles Faswig, curtly. "For all I know, you are trying to get somebody else's property away from me."

"You let us see that boat, and we'll soon tell you if it is ours or not," said Snap.

"I was out on the shore last night and I saw something drifting by and drew it in," explained Giles Faswig. "I hauled it back of yonder bushes. If you can prove it is your property you can take it, but not otherwise."

"We'll soon find out," answered Snap, and walked over in the direction pointed out. As he did this, Whopper put his little fingers in the corners of his mouth and gave a piercing whistle.

"What's that for?" demanded Andrew Faswig, in alarm.

"We want our crowd down here—-and some others," said Whopper.

"Some others? Who?" asked Faswig, and now he was also alarmed.

"Some folks who will give us all the help we want," said Snap, quick to understand the ruse his chum was playing.

"How many people are up here?" asked the rich lumber dealer, nervously.

"Oh, seven or eight," answered Whopper, but did not add that he was counting in Felps's own party.

Behind a thick mass of brushwood rested the Snapper, as the boys' craft had been christened. The boat was very much as the lads had left it, but Snap was quick to detect that the painter, which had before had a frayed-out end, had been cut by some sharp instrument, probably a knife.

"This is our boat," said Snap, as he looked the craft over.

"Humph, can you prove it?" growled Giles Faswig.

"Yes, and I can prove more if I have to," added the leader of the hunting club.

"What?"

"That the rope has been cut."

"What does that signify?" asked Andrew Felps.

"It shows that the boat didn't drift away. Somebody cut the rope and made off with her."

"See here—-" began Giles Faswig, and then stopped short. There was a shout, and Giant and Shep burst into view.

"Got the boat, eh?" cried the doctor's son. "Good!" And then he looked curiously at the men, and so did Giant.

"Come on and shove the boat out," said Snap. "We'll talk this over later." And before anybody could stop him he was in the craft and pushing out of the bushes.

"Say look here—-" began Andrew Felps, but the boys paid no attention. All got on board the Snapper, and in a moment more the craft was out in the middle of the cove.

"Don't you try to make any trouble for me!" shouted Giles Faswig. "I simply found that boat adrift and brought her in here for safety."

"And I don't believe a word you say," answered Snap. "I think you visited our camp and stole the boat."

"And that is what I think," added Whopper.

A wordy war followed lasting fully ten minutes. It was plainly to be seen that Giles Faswig and his companions were much disturbed, thinking the boys would make trouble for them. At last the young hunters rowed away and went back to their own camp. It was now growing quite light.

"Did you ever hear of such meanness," was Snap's comment. "They meant to keep our boat hidden until we had left this vicinity. Then maybe, they'd cast it adrift and say they had nothing to do with taking her."

"Well, we found out how mean they were last year, so it is nothing new," said Shep. "You were lucky to locate the craft."

"It was all through that boy," returned Whopper. "I pity him if he has Giles Faswig for an uncle."

"I think the best we can do is to leave Lake Cameron at once," said Giant. "We don't want to run into that crowd again."

The others agreed, and by eight o'clock that morning the tent was taken down and stored away and the journey to Firefly Lake was begun.

It was a clear, warm day, with bright sunshine overhead. The woods were full of birds that sang sweetly, and being so near to nature's heart, the young hunters soon forgot their troubles.

The stream leading from Lake Cameron to Firefly Lake was a tortuous and rocky one, and more overgrown with bushes than it had been the summer previous. At one point the spring freshets had rolled in a number of big stones and these the boys had to roll out of the way before the rowboat could get through. Not wishing to damage the Snapper, they proceeded with care, so by dinner time less than half the distance to the smaller body of water was covered.

"We won't get to Firefly Lake until to-night," said Snap. "But who cares? We have plenty of time."

All were hungry for a taste of roast duck, and so they stopped off long enough to cook a fine dinner. For dessert they had some blackberries which they chanced to find growing near the watercourse, and they stopped so long over their midday meal that it was after two o'clock before the journey was resumed.

"Do you remember the awful windstorm we once struck up here?" queried Shep, as they rowed along.

"Will we ever forget it," cried Whopper. "Gosh! I thought I was going to be blown into the next century! Say, did I ever tell you how it blew my socks inside out?" he added, with a grin.

"Hardly," answered Giant, and laughed.

"Fact, and the next morning I had to turn my shoes inside out to accommodate the socks," finished Whopper. "Yes, that was a wind to remember."

"Hurrah, Whopper is coming to his own!" cried Snap. "Whopper, what would you do if you couldn't tell stories now and then?"

"Why, I'd—-" began Whopper, and then leaped to his feet. "Well, I never! Give me a gun, quick! There's a bear!"



CHAPTER XIV

DELAYED BY A STORM

"A Bear!"

"Where is he?"

"Let me get my gun!"

Such were some of the exclamations uttered after Whopper made his declaration that he had seen a bear. In the meantime the youth who loved to tell big stories had caught up his shotgun and was aiming it to the right of the watercourse, where there were several big rocks overgrown with brushwood. He took aim and blazed away. A grunt followed, and then came a thrashing in the bushes, growing fainter and fainter in the distance.

"You hit him!" ejaculated Snap.

"Yes, but he is running away for all he's worth," answered Whopper, disappointedly.

By this time every one of the young hunters had his firearm. The boat was turned to the bank of the creek, and then each youth looked at the others. Not a trace of the bear was to be seen anywhere.

"No use of going after him," said the doctor's son. "More than likely he's half a mile away by this time and he'll be so shy he won't let us get anywhere near him."

"If only we could have gotten a shot at him!" said Giant, wistfully. "Think of bringing a bear down first lick!" And his eyes glistened.

"We might have crawled up on him, only I thought he saw us," explained Whopper. "That's the reason I called for my gun."

"I guess he kind of scared you," said Snap.

"Well, I admit I was startled. I didn't think we'd find a bear along here—-I thought they hung up in the mountains."

"They may come down to gather some stuff that grows in this water," answered Snap. "They love to eat certain roots, so Jed Sanborn told me, and sometimes they travel a long distance to get them."

After a little more talk the journey was resumed, and nothing out of the ordinary came to their notice until late in the afternoon. Then Shep, who was in the bow looking forward, held up his hand for silence.

"What is it?" whispered Giant, who was next to him.

"Some small animals squatting on yonder rocks," replied the doctor's son. "I don't know what they are."

The young hunters stopped rowing and took up their shotguns with care. They allowed the boat to drift behind a screen of bushes on the side of the watercourse. Then they looked through the bushes with care.

"I know what they are—-muskrats," whispered Giant.

"I see two of them," added Shep. He raised his gun and Giant did the same. Bang! bang! went both pieces, one directly after the other. The muskrats gave a leap upward and fell with a splash into the stream.

"We hit them, that's certain," said the doctor's son. "But they may get away."

Eagerly the boys rowed up to the spot where the muskrats had sat. Around the rocks the clear water was churned up into mud. But on the surface floated the two bodies of the creatures.

"I don't know what we are going to do with them," said Snap. "The skins are not very good this time of year."

"I couldn't resist bringing one of 'em down," said Shep.

"Just the way I felt," added Giant.

They continued on their way, and a few minutes later came to something of a cleared spot along the watercourse. Here Snap leaped up, shotgun in hand.

"Here's our chance, fellows!" he whispered. "All together."

He pointed to some low trees beyond the clearing. The branches were thick with quail. All understood and took up their firearms.

"I'll shoot high, Shep can shoot low, Giant to the left and Whopper to the right," commanded the leader of the club. "All ready?"

"Yes," was the low answer, and the four weapons went off almost as one piece. There was a great fluttering in the trees and five quail were seen to drop. Then two others flew around in a fashion that told plainly they were seriously wounded.

"Come on, we must get them!" cried Giant, and leaped forward. As the two wounded birds flew close together he blazed away a second time, and the game dropped like a stone. The rest of the quail were now out of sight.

"Seven quail!" cried Snap, enthusiastically. "I don't call that half bad."

"I call it very good," declared the doctor's son. "To-morrow we can have quail on toast."

"Where are you going to get the toast?" questioned Whopper.

"Well, we'll have quail on crackers then," put in Giant.

Stowing the quail away in the bow of the boat, they went on through the gathering darkness. The sun had gone down over the hills in the west, casting long shadows across the little watercourse.

"It will be pretty dark by the time we reach Firefly Lake," said Snap, and he was right. It was cloudy too, and a stiff breeze from the east had begun to blow.

"We'll have to take care how we pitch our tent to-night," was Whopper's comment. "Unless I miss my guess, we'll have rain by to-morrow morning."

"Oh, don't say that!" cried Giant. "I don't want it to rain yet."

"It won't hold off for you or anybody else," returned Snap. "Whopper is right, we must stake our tent well and allow for the water to run off—-if rain does come."

When they at last rounded the final turn and swept into Firefly Lake it was so dark they could see little or nothing ahead. But they remembered the locality and had little trouble in reaching a spot where they had camped once before. But the snows of the previous winter had played sad havoc with the fireplace they had built, and they had to build a fire in the open. While Whopper and Giant prepared a substantial supper Snap and Shep put up the tent, on a bit of high ground. Around the tent they dug a small trench, to carry off the water, should it storm.

"We want to make sure that our boat doesn't get away from us again to-night," said Whopper.

"Here is a cove—-we can haul her up in that," said Snap, and this was done, and the craft was tied fast to two trees.

Having had but little sleep the night before, all the young hunters were tired out, and it was not long after getting supper that they crawled into the tent and went to sleep. On account of the wind they did not dare to leave the campfire burning, for they knew only too well how easy it is to set a forest on fire through such carelessness.

At about two o'clock in the morning Giant awoke, to find the rain coming down steadily on the tent. He crawled to the front of the shelter and looked out. All was pitch dark, and, somehow, the prospect made him shiver. The wind had gone down, and only the fall of the rain broke the stillness.

"This is lonely enough for anybody, I guess," he mused, and crawled back to his corners. "Shouldn't wonder if we have to stay in came tomorrow. But I don't care—-it will give us all a chance to rest up."

He struck a match, to see how the others were faring, and as he gazed around he saw a small stream of water coming in through a hole in the tent. The stream was falling close to Whopper's head. Just then Whopper turned and the stream took him directly in the ear.

"Wh—-wow!" spluttered Whopper, awakening and squirming around. "What's the matter here? Has Niagara Falls broke loose, or who's playing the hose on me?"

The noise aroused the others, and all sat up. By this time the match had gone out, but Giant promptly struck another and then lit the camp lantern. Whopper gazed at the hole in the tent ruefully.

"That's too bad," said Snap. "We'll have to mend that, the first chance we get."

"We can't mend it to-night," answered Shep.

Gracious! Just listen to it rain!

The boys sat up for quite awhile listening to the rain, but presently they grew tired again and one after another dropped off to sleep. Whopper found a dry spot next to Giant; and thus they rested until daylight.

It was certainly a dismal outlook that confronted them when they arose for the day. The rain was coming down steadily, and no dry firewood was to be had with which to cook breakfast.

"We should have put some wood in the tent," said Snap. "We'll know better next time."

It took a deal of coaxing to start a blaze, but once it got going to keep it up was easy. They took their time, for traveling in such a storm was out of the question. The meal over, they washed up the dishes, and then huddled down in the tent once more.

"This is the only drawback to camp life," said Snap, with a sigh. "A storm knocks everything endways. But there is no help for it, and a fellow must take the bitter with the sweet."

The storm continued all day, and the only thing the lads did was to fish. At this they were very successful, and a fine supper of fresh lake trout put them in much better humor. They put in a peaceful night, and the next morning, the storm having cleared away, they set off for Lake Narsac.



CHAPTER XV

LOST IN THE SWAMP

"This is certainly a wilderness!"

It was Snap who uttered the words, as he stood in the bow of the rowboat, taking in the scene before him. They had left Firefly Lake five miles behind them and were on the winding stream leading to Lake Narsac. On one side of the watercourse were rough rocks and on the other a tangled mass of underbrush, backed up by rocks and tall cedars.

"A fellow could never make his way through such a woods as that," said Whopper, nodding in the direction of the forest. "Why, you'd tear your clothing all to pieces!"

"I can tell you one thing," put in Shep. "I think there must be plenty of game up here—-if only one can get to it."

They had taken turns at rowing and poling the craft along. For the most part the poling was better than rowing, for the stream was too full of rocks to admit the free use of oars. Twice they had bumped on the projections under water, once with such violence that Giant, who had been standing at the time, had almost gone overboard. Once they had to carry craft and outfit around a sharp bend. The boat had started to leak a little, but not enough to cause anxiety.

Noon found them encamped on a point of land where the stream appeared to divide into two parts, one running to the northeast and the other to the northwest. Which branch to take to get to Lake Narsac they did not know.

"This is a fine how-do-you-do!" was Whopper's comment. "I wish we had questioned Jed Sanborn about it."

"From what I thought he said I imagined there was but one stream leading to the lake," said the doctor's son.

"Perhaps there is, Shep; but which is the one?"

"Don't ask me. One looks as good as the other."

"On the map Lake Narsac is to the northwest of Firefly Lake," came from Giant. "Consequently I should say that we ought to take the stream flowing in that direction."

"That sounds reasonable," answered Snap, and the others nodded.

Coming along the watercourse they had managed to shoot several quail, of the sort known by many as partridge, and also some other birds. Shep had likewise brought down two squirrels. They had scared up several rabbits, but these had gotten away in the underbrush.

"Let us take a good rest before we go further," said Shep, while he was eating. "There is no use of our killing ourselves with rowing when we are only out for fun."

The others agreed, and as a consequence they took a nap after the meal and did not get started again until three o'clock.

They soon found the stream they were on broad but shallow, and felt sure it would lead to the lake. They kept on steadily until six o'clock, and then came to a halt at a point where the watercourse narrowed and ran between a series of jagged rocks.

"We ought to be getting to the lake pretty soon," was Snap's comment. "Jed Sanborn told me we could make the trip from Firefly Lake in a day if we didn't fool along the way."

"Well, don't forget that we stopped for a nap," answered Whopper. "Perhaps we'll get there before it gets dark."

Having passed the rocks, they found the stream broadening out once more. The bottom was now muddy, and here and there grew large clumps of reeds and cattails.

"This seems to be more of a swamp than a lake," was the comment of the doctor's son. "From what Jed Sanborn said I thought it was a narrow stream all the way to the lake."

"So did I," added Giant. "I begin to feel that we have made a mistake."

"If we have, you're to blame," grumbled Whopper.

"Oh, you were willing enough to come this direction," answered Giant sharply. "If we are wrong, you needn't blame me."

"It's your fault!"

"Oh, don't quarrel about it," interposed Snap. "We were all willing to come this way. If we have made a mistake—-" He did not finish.

"Don't croak until you are sure we are mistaken," said Shep.

A silence followed, and they moved on, the stream growing broader as they advanced. It was a lonely spot, and as it grew darker the loneliness seemed to increase. On all sides were the immense trees and dense brushwood, while the stream was dotted with little islands, covered with reeds and rushes and small, thorny bushes.

The sun had gone down, and as the darkness increased the boys looked at each other wonderingly. This was not at all what they had expected.

"If this is Narsac Lake I don't want to stay here," remarked Shep. "Why, it can't hold a candle to Cameron or Firefly."

"No wonder nobody comes here," grumbled Whopper. "It's nothing but a swamp."

"This can't be Lake Narsac," answered Snap. "Don't you remember what we heard—-that it is a very deep lake, set right in among the mountains. We have made a mistake."

"I see something ahead," said Giant, who was standing in the bow. "It looks to me like a signboard. Let us row up to it."

"A signboard is just what we want," said Snap, and took up the oars. Soon they reached the board, which was nailed to a post set on one of the reedy islands. The board read as follows:

Hooper's Pond S. Hooper, Owner No campingers allowe

"Hooper's Pond!" cried Snap. "We certainly have made a mistake!"

"'No campingers allowed,'" read the doctor's son. "His spelling and grammar are not very strong but he knows what he means."

"Well, we don't want to camp here," said Whopper in disgust. "Mr. S. Hooper can keep his pond to himself and welcome."

"I think we'll have to camp here for to-night," said Shep. "We can't go back to where we took lunch with darkness coming on. And I am hungry, too."

They were all hungry and tired, and after a brief talk decided to remain at the pond over night and in the morning retrace their way to where the stream had forked.

"Shall we camp on one of the islands, or on the shore?" questioned Shep.

"The main thing is to find some dry spot," answered Snap. "To me all the ground around here looks spongy and wet."

They tried several of the islands, but found them soft and uncertain, and so rowed over to the shore on the west. Here was a little hill, covered with dewberries, and having cleared a spot, they erected their tent and built a campfire.

"If Mr. S. Hooper is around he may chase us away," said Snap. "But we'll take the chance of his not being in this vicinity."

The swamp was full of flies and mosquitoes, and they were glad enough to keep near the fire, to get rid of the pests. After the cooking was done they built a smudge, of wet reeds, and this helped to keep the insects away. But it was not a cheerful spot and when the boys went to bed all felt depressed.

Snap was the first up in the morning, and while he was getting breakfast ready, Giant took his shotgun and went off in quest of game.

"There ought to be plenty of wild fowl around a swamp like this," said the small member of the club. "I am going to see what I can bring down before we leave."

"If you bring down much you'll have Mr. S. Hooper in your wool," answered Snap.

"I don't believe he is around. And, another thing, I didn't see any fences."

"Nor I. I guess you are safe in bringing down whatever you can hit. But don't stay out too long."

Giant walked to the other side of the little hill and then along a cove of the big swamp. Far ahead he saw some birds, resting close to the water's edge. He felt they might be quail or perhaps some wild turkeys.

The ground was anything but firm, and Giant soon had to leap from one dry patch to another. He was half tempted to turn back, but now he was almost within gun-shot of the game and he hated to give up the quest.

"I'll go back a bit from the water and come around on the other side," he reasoned. Then he took to another course, only to find, presently, that it was worse than the first. He was now between clumps of reeds, and almost before he knew it one of the clumps turned over on him, sending him into the water and mud up to his knees.

"Gracious! this won't do!" he muttered, and tried to turn back. He found the water and mud very treacherous, and in a few seconds he went down again, this time to his waist. His feet were in the mud so firmly that he could scarcely budge them. He let out a cry for help. Then the mud below the surface commenced to sink, and in a few minutes poor Giant was up to his armpits. What to do he did not know, and it looked as if he would surely be drowned.



CHAPTER XVI

THE RESCUE OF GIANT

Snap had the breakfast well underway when Shep came out of the tent.

"Hello, you're at it early," remarked the doctor's son. "Why didn't you call me and I would have helped you."

"Oh, I didn't want to disturb you, Shep, you were snoozing so comfortably."

"Where is Giant?"

"Gone off to see if he can get some game before we leave."

"Do you want me to help with breakfast? If you don't, I'll try for some game myself."

"Go ahead—-only come back when I whistle," answered the leader of the club.

The doctor's son was soon on his way, with his shotgun trailing in his hand. He, too, crossed the little hill as Giant had done. Hardly had he done this than he caught sight of a wild turkey and let drive, bringing the game down some distance ahead of him.

"Now I am going to have some fun getting that turkey," he told himself, as he surveyed the mud and water before him.

It was no light task to bring in the game, and the doctor's son got both feet wet. But the turkey was a gobbler and of good size, and he was very proud when he had the game over his shoulder in true sportsman's style.

"Guess I'll go on a little further and see if I can stir up anything else," he thought. "If game is plentiful around here maybe it will pay us to stay for a day or two after all."

He trudged on, and had just caught sight of what looked like some wild ducks when a cry reached his ears. At first he imagined it came from behind him, and thought it might be Snap calling him to breakfast, but then he concluded it came from in front.

"Must be Giant," he told himself. "What can he want?"

"Help! help me!" came presently, in a fainter voice.

"It is Giant, and he is in trouble!" burst from Shep's lips, and then, without waiting, he gave a loud whistle, repeated several times. This was the old signal among the young hunters that assistance was wanted immediately.

Shep broke into a run, or rather a series of hops, for he hopped from one bunch of reeds to another, until he came close to where Giant was struggling in the water and mud. The small member of the club was now almost up to his chin and trying with might and main to pull himself from the treacherous mass that held him a prisoner.

"What's the matter, can't you get out?" asked the doctor's son.

"N—-no!" gasped Giant. "Th—-the mu—-mud is li—-like g-g-glue!"

Much alarmed, Shep looked around for something with which to aid his chum. Nothing was at hand, but not far off he saw a small sapling growing. He made towards it, and by a supreme effort pulled the sapling up by the roots. Then he ran back and threw the top of the little tree towards the unfortunate young hunter.

"Got hold?"

"Yes."

Shep began to pull, and after a mighty effort succeeded in raising Giant several inches out of the sticky mud. But try his best, he could not budge the small lad further.

"It's no go!" he gasped. "I am going down myself!"

"Do—-don't le—-leave me, Shep!"

"Leave you? Not much, Giant! I'll get you out somehow. But I'll have to try some other way."

While the doctor's son was looking around for some other means to employ in the rescue, a shout was heard, and Snap came running up, followed by Whopper.

"What's the matter?"

"How did Giant get in that hole?"

"I don't know how he got in, but we must get him out," returned Shep. "Can you fellows help pull on this tree?

"Wait, here is a small rope," said Snap. "I picked it up as I left camp, thinking it might be needed. We can tie that to the tree end and stand further back."

The rope was speedily adjusted, and then the three young hunters were able to brace their feet on ground that was fairly firm.

"Now, hold tight, Giant!" sang out Shep.

"I'll hold as ti—-tight as I ca—-can," was the gasped-out answer, for the small youth was all but exhausted by his struggles.

The others began a steady and strong pull, and inch by inch Giant came up out of the sticky mud. To make his hold firmer he twined his arms around the slender branches of the sapling.

"He's coming!" cried Snap. "Now then, one more haul and we'll have him out!"

"Or broken in two," panted Whopper.

The final pull was given, and with a sucking sound and a splash the small member of the club came to the top of the water. He fell on the sapling and the others dragged him to a spot where it was comparatively safe. Then he got up and looked at himself ruefully. He was plastered with mud from his waist down.

"Never mind—-be thankful that you're out," said Shep.

"I—-I am thankful," was Giant's answer. "Bu—-but I don't want any o—-of S. Hooper's mud. He ca—-can have it all himself!" And this was said so dolefully that all the others had to roar.

When they got back to the camp Giant told how he had chanced to get into the mud. He was thankful that Shep had come along just in the nick of time, and thankful that the others had come also. Luckily he had a change of garments with him, and he lost no time, when he was rested, in putting on clean clothes and in washing out those which were soiled.

"After this I am going to be careful where I walk," he said, while he was eating his breakfast.

"It puts me in mind of the time you and I got in the snow hole, last winter," said Whopper, referring to an incident related in detail in "Guns and Snowshoes."

"Yes, and I was just as lucky to get out," answered Giant.

After an hour's rest, and a good breakfast, Giant declared himself as strong as ever. The tent was packed, and soon the young hunters were on their way from Hooper's Pond.

"I hope we don't make any more false turns," observed Snap, as they rowed and poled their way along. "I am getting a bit anxious to see Lake Narsac."

So were the others, and that noon they allowed themselves only half an hour for lunch. During that time some of the boys went fishing in the stream and were lucky enough to catch some trout and several suckers. Once Whopper got a strong pull, but it only proved to be a mud turtle, much to his disgust.

"Thought I had a ten-pound fish," he said.

The middle of the afternoon found them on a clear, deep stream, which broadened out constantly as they advanced. This made them certain that they were nearing Lake Narsac, and they were correspondingly elated. At one point in the stream they came to a beautiful island, with elderberry bushes lining the shore and a patch of trees in the center. As they drew closer they saw several rabbits and squirrels, but did not get a chance to shoot the game.

"If we run short of food we can come here," observed Snap. "That game can't get away from the island."

"Shall we stop off now?" asked Whopper. "We'll be sure to get something."

"No! no! Let us go on!" cried Giant. "We want to make Lake Narsac by to-night, if we can possibly do it."

The others agreed with Giant, and they kept on until the long shadows over the mountain to the westward told them that night was again approaching.

"Looks as if we'd have to camp in the woods along this river," said the doctor's son.

"Oh, let us keep on until it is really dark," replied Giant.

"I'd like to see Lake Narsac, I must confess," answered Snap. "But even if we get there inside of the next hour we won't be able to see much."

Nevertheless, they kept on, until it was really dark. Then, by mutual consent, they drew up to the bank of the stream, leaped from the boat and stretched their limbs.

"We may be less than a mile from the lake, and we may be five times that distance," said the leader of the club. "I suppose the best thing to do is to camp where we are."

So it was decided, and once more the tent was hauled forth, and preparations were made to start a campfire. Whopper and Snap went to cut the wood. They had just stepped into the bushes when Shep and Giant heard several wild cries.

"A snake!"

"A dozen of them! This is a regular nest! Run, they are after us!"

And then both boys came running out of the bushes with all possible speed.



CHAPTER XVII

ON LAKE NARSAC AT LAST

It was true, they had struck a regular nest of snakes, and in less than a minute the camp seemed to be fairly overrun with the reptiles, which were from a foot to three feet in length.

Now, if there was one thing which the young hunters hated worse than anything else, it was a snake, and consequently there was a lively rush to get out of the way of the reptiles. The snakes were dark brown in color, with lighter stripes, and what variety the young hunters did not know. They might be poisonous, and the youths did not care to run any chances.

The snakes seemed to be fearless, and the fact that several were speedily killed did not daunt them. Whopper cut one in two with his hatchet and Snap crushed another with his heel. Then, as they came close to the tent, Shep hit a third with a saucepan and Giant kicked a fourth into the water. But by this time at least thirty snakes were in sight, and not knowing what else to do, the young hunters ran for the rowboat and tumbled into that. One snake went with Whopper, twined around his foot, but that youth kicked it loose and sent it squirming into the water.

"Did you ever see the like!" gasped Giant. "Why, the woods must be full of snakes!"

"We must be close to Lake Narsac," answered Snap. "Don't you remember what they said about snakes being plentiful?"

"If they are as plentiful as all this I want to go right back," declared Whopper firmly. And then he looked up his trouser legs, to make certain no reptiles had gone above his ankles. The other boys were also busy, scanning the rowboat, to clear it of possible visitors.

The craft was tied to the shore but had drifted several feet from the bank. They had rushed away so quickly that all of their firearms were in or near the tent, which was but partly raised, one end flapping idly in the faint breeze that was blowing. The campfire had been started with a few dry twigs and cedar boughs and cast only a faint gleam around in the gathering darkness.

"I didn't know snakes could be so active in the dark," observed the doctor's son.

"We stepped right into their nest," answered Snap. "First Whopper went into it and then I followed. That is what made the snakes so mad and made them come right after us."

"Some of them have gone into the tent," cried Giant. "I just saw three of them wriggle under the canvas."

"And to think all the guns ar ashore!" murmured Whopper. "What are we to do?"

"Walk ashore and get them," suggested Snap, with a wink.

"Not for a million dollars! You do it."

"Thank you, but I—-er—-I'm lame."

"I guess we are all too lame to go ashore among those snakes," said Giant, with a short laugh. "But we have got to do something," he added, seriously.

"I move we remain on the boat until morning," said Shep. "Even if we clear out some of the snakes now, we may not be able to get at all of them. And who wants to go to sleep with snakes around? Not I!"

"I couldn't sleep if I tried," said Whopper. "I'd be seeing all kinds of snakes in my dreams!" And he shuddered.

Fortunately they had cooked some extra fish that noon and this food had not been taken from the boat. They dined on the fish and some crackers, and that was all. By this time it was night and the tiny campfire was a mere glow of hot ashes.

"We might try the other side of the stream," suggested Snap.

"There may be snakes there too," said Giant. "You can do as you please, I am going to stay on the boat until daylight."

"But what are you going to do when you get to the lake? We must camp somewhere?"

"We'll hunt up a snakeless place in the broad daylight. The snakes can't be everywhere."

There seemed to be no help for it, and having anchored the rowboat in the middle of the stream, the young hunters proceeded to make themselves as comfortable as possible on board. They had the rubber cloth, and this they propped up on half-raised oars, making a sort of awning. They had to rest on the hard seats, with boxes and bundles between, and it was anything but comfortable. They were so close together Giant said it reminded him of sardines in a tin box. A sound sleep was out of the question, and they slumbered only by fits and starts.

"Now to clear out those snakes," said Snap, when it was daylight. "I wonder what we had best do first?"

"I have an idea," said Shep. "Let us go to yonder shore and cut some cedar boughs. We can set them on fire and each take one. Snakes hate fire, and they'll be sure to crawl away if we advance with the burning boughs close to the ground."

The suggestion was deemed an excellent one, and they lost no time in carrying it out. They got the driest cedar branches possible and set them into a blaze with little trouble. Then they went ashore with caution, advancing in a semi-circle on the places they thought the snakes must be.

To their amazement not a reptile was in sight! "Did you ever see the like?" ejaculated Whopper. "Is this true, or am I dreaming?"

"I know what has happened," said Snap. "The snakes have simply gone back to their nest."

"Well, leave them there by all means!" interposed the doctor's son. "I wouldn't disturb their nap for the world."

With caution they moved around the camp, and lifted up the ends of the tent, and raised their cooking utensils.

"Who wants to stay here for breakfast?" asked Snap, dryly. "Don't all speak at once."

"Thanks, but I've engaged a place about a mile from here," answered Whopper. "You can stay if you wish—-I'll move on."

It did not take them long to get their things aboard the Snapper, and keeping their eyes open, they moved along the stream. They had scarcely covered half a mile when Snap, who was at the bow, gave a shout.

"The lake! The lake!"

"Where?" came from the others.

"Right around the bend, on the left. Pull on, fellows, and we'll soon be there."

Whopper and Shep bent to the oars and the turn mentioned was soon passed. Then all saw before them a clear, deep body of water, the farther end lost in the distance. On both sides were tall mountains, covered with pines and other trees which came down to the water's edge. The surface of the big lake was as smooth as glass, and just in front of them they could see the bottom, twenty or thirty feet below.

"What a beautiful lake!" murmured Shep.

"But how wild, and how lonely!" added Giant, after a look around.

"It looks lonely because we are not used to it," answered Snap. "I felt the same way the first time I went up to Lake Cameron and to Firefly Lake."

"That's it," put in Whopper. "After we have tramped along the shore, and rowed around the lake a few times, it will lose a good deal of its strangeness."

As they advanced they noted that the lake grew deeper and they could no more see the bottom. But the water was as clear as crystal and quite cold, showing that the water came, at least in part, from springs.

"I see a little stretch of sand," said Giant, presently, and pointed it out. "We might go ashore there for breakfast—-if there are no snakes."

They turned the Snapper in the direction mentioned, and soon beached the craft. A hasty hunt around revealed no snakes and the young hunters felt easier. They made a campfire and cooked a substantial breakfast, for the meager supper the evening previous had left them tremendously hungry.

"I feel sleepy enough to take a good snooze," said Shep, stretching himself. "What's the matter with staying here for to-day, and then hunting a regular camping spot to-morrow? I guess you fellows are as tired as I am."

They were tired and the proposal to rest met with instant approval. It was decided to roast the wild turkey for dinner and to spend several hours in fishing,—-all after a sleep of several hours.

"There ought to be some fine pickerel in this lake," said Snap, and he fixed his rod and line for that specimen of the finny tribe and Giant did the same. Shep and Whopper went in for whatever they could catch. The fishing was highly successful and the boys soon had all the fish they would want for several days.

"Might as well give It up," said Snap, when a call from Whopper interrupted him.

"Somebody is coming down the lake," was the announcement. "A very old man in a canoe."



CHAPTER XVIII

THE OLD HERMIT'S TALE

All of the young hunters watched the approach of the old man with interest. He was a very tall individual, with snow-white hair and a flowing beard. He was dressed in a suit of rusty black, and on his head he wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, with a big hole in the top. His canoe was of birch bark, light and strong, and he propelled it with a short, broad paddle.

"I'll wager he is a character," said Snap, as the man drew closer.

"Shall I hail him?" questioned Whopper, as it looked as if the occupant of the canoe was going to pass without speaking.

"Might as well," was the answer, and the boys set up a shout. At first the old man paid no attention, but presently he turned his craft toward shore and came to a halt directly in front of the camp.

"How are you?" said Snap, cordially. A look told him the Stranger was at least seventy or eighty years old.

"Pretty well, for an old man," was the answer. "Who are you?"

"We are four boys from Fairview. We came up here to go camping. Who are you?"

"Me? Don't you know who I am? I am Peter Peterson."

"Oh!" exclaimed the boys. They remembered having once heard Jed Sanborn speak of Peter Peterson as an old fellow who lived among the hills bordering Lake Cameron. Peterson was a hermit, and having been crossed in love when he was a young man, he hated the sight of a woman.

"My name is Charley Dodge," said Snap. "My father owns a share in the Barnaby saw mill." And then the leader of the club introduced his chums. In the meantime the old hermit allowed his canoe to drift to shore and he stepped out and sat down on a rock.

"I know your father," he said to Snap, "and I know your folks," and he nodded to Shep. "Your father gave me some medicine when I was sick. So you came up here to go camping?"

"Yes."

"You are pretty brave lads to do that."

"Oh, we've been out camping before. We came out last summer and also last winter."

"Up here?"

"No, to Lake Cameron and Firefly Lake."

"That's different from Lake Narsac. Don't you know this place is haunted?" And Peter Peterson looked at the boys very solemnly.

"We've heard something about that, but we aren't afraid," said Shep.

"We are more afraid of snakes than we are of ghosts," added Whopper. "We met a lot of them just before we reached the lake."

"To be sure you did,—- the river is full of them, and so is the north side of the lake shore—-anybody who has camped up here can tell you that. But I don't mind the snakes—-but I do mind ghosts." And the old hermit shook his head in a manner to prove he meant what he said. "I would stay up here to do some fishing and hunting only—-"

"Only what?" asked Giant.

"I don't like the ghosts, or spirits, or whatever you may call them."

"Have you seen any ghosts?" asked Snap.

"Well, I've seen something, and heard it, too. I don't know what it was,—-but it didn't suit me," answered Peter Peterson. "But maybe I hadn't better tell you about it—-it might only worry you," he continued, thoughtfully.

But the boys wanted to hear the old man's story, and so they invited him to take dinner with them. During the meal he told his tale, which was certainly a curious one.

"The first of it happened day before yesterday," said Peter Peterson. "I was up to the very end of the lake, in a little cove, looking for wild turkeys. I was tired out and I rested against a tree and went into a doze. All at once I felt something cross my face. What it was I couldn't make out. I jumped up and just them I heard somebody cry out: 'I am dead! Who will bury me!' or something like that. I thought somebody was fooling me, and I called back: 'Who is there?' Then, as true as I am sitting here, I heard somebody in the air laugh at me! I called again, 'Who are you?' And the party, or ghost, or whatever it was answered: 'They murdered me! Who will bury me!' Then I got scared and leaped into my canoe and paddled away. When I was out on the lake I looked back into the woods, but I could not see a soul."

"Are you sure you weren't asleep and dreamed all that?" asked Snap.

"No, I was wide awake. But that isn't all. Early this morning I was asleep over on the shore yonder, just where you can see that blasted pine. It was, I think, about three o'clock, and quite dark. I heard a cry and I sat up to listen. Then I heard the most hideous laugh you can imagine. Then a voice called out again, 'I am dead! Come to my grave! He is dead! I am dead! He is dead!' Then I looked out on the lake and I saw something like a ghost, only it was yellow instead of white. It moved over the water like a spirit, and in a few minutes I couldn't see it any more. Then I made up my mind I wouldn't stay up here any longer. You can camp here if you want to—-I am done with Lake Narsac."

The young hunters of the lake looked at each other. What the hermit had to say coincided in many respects with the story told by Jed Sanborn. Certainly there was something queer in these strange calls, and in the appearance of the ghost or spirit in yellow.

"I must say I don't like this," said Shep, after they had questioned the old hermit to ascertain that his story was a straight one. "There seems to be something supernatural about it; don't you think so?"

"Perhaps it can be explained," answered Snap, slowly.

"We promised ourselves not to be afraid of any ghost," put in little Giant. "I, for one, don't believe in turning back until we have seen and heard these things for ourselves."

"I'd like to have my shotgun handy when that yellow ghost shows itself," said Whopper. "I'd soon find out whether it was real or not."

"I don't think your shotgun would do you any good," answered Peter Peterson, with deep conviction. "You can't shoot a spirit."

"Well, if I aimed right at it and it wasn't touched, I'd know it was a ghost for sure."

"That's true, but I reckon when you came to fire on that ghost your hand would be so shaky that you couldn't hit the side of a barn," answered the old hermit. "After I saw that spirit I felt like I had a chill. I am not going to stay up here another night—-it's bad enough to be here in the daytime."

The old hermit remained with the boys two hours, and then embarked in his canoe and was soon out of sight down the stream leading to Firefly Lake. The young hunters watched him out of sight with some regret. He had told them he did not think anybody was now on the lake but themselves.

"Well, if we really are here alone we ought not to be troubled by anybody," was Shep's comment. "Still, it does seem tremendously lonely."

"Just listen to the stillness," remarked Whopper. "You can cut it out in chunks!"

"No use of listening—-I can feel it," answered Giant. "But what's the use of acting like that?"

"You'll give us all the blues. Let's be cheerful," and he began to whistle a merry tune, and one after another the others joined in. Then they started to fix up the tent for the night and cut a quantity of wood for the fire, and this put them in better spirits. For supper they had some fine fish, baking them to a turn on some hot stones, in a fashion Jed Sanborn had taught them. They also had hot biscuits—-the first since leaving home.

"I think somebody ought to remain on guard after this," said Shep, when it came time to retire.

"We don't know what to expect in such a place as this. There are the ghosts, and the snakes, and unknown wild beasts, and other things we know nothing of."

"I am willing," answered Snap. "We can divide the night into watches of two hours and a half each, and draw sticks for turns," and so it was arranged.

It must be confessed that the boys were a trifle timid that night, and those that tried to sleep had hard work to close their eyes. But no alarm came, and when the sun came up all felt relieved.

"We may stay up here for weeks and never see or hear of that ghost," said Snap. "I don't believe it shows itself very often."

"Oh, I don't suppose it appears and disappears by the clock, like a cuckoo," said Whopper. "It will most likely lay low and scare us to death when we least expect it."

It was the middle of the forenoon before they were ready to embark on a tour of the lake. They decided to skirt the entire shore, or at least such a portion of it as looked inviting, and then pick out a spot for a regular camp. They proceeded slowly, for there was no need to hurry and they did not wish to miss any spot that might be of especial advantage.

It was not yet noon when they turned into a little cove, bordered by low-hanging bushes. They looked ahead, and then Shep ordered the others to stop rowing.

"I just saw something, back of yonder bushes," he whispered, excitedly. "I am not sure, but I think it was a couple of deer!"



CHAPTER XIX

A DANGEROUS DEER HUNT

"Deer!" came from the others.

"Let me get a shot at 'em," added Whopper, excitedly. "That's what I came for—-to bring down a dozen deer or so!"

"Make it two or three dozen, Whopper," answered Snap. "What would you do with a dozen in this warm weather?"

"Send 'em down to the poor folks of the town."

The announcement that deer were in that vicinity thrilled all the young hunters, and they at once resolved to go ashore and see if they could not bring down the game.

"Let us go back a bit," suggested Shep. "We don't want this breeze to carry our scent to them. If it does, they'll be off like a shot."

The others knew that the doctor's son spoke the truth, and so the Snapper was turned around, and they went ashore at a point where the trees were thick. Snap carried the rifle and the others had their shotguns, and all looked to the firearms to be sure they were in condition for immediate use. With great care the four boys started to stalk the deer, as it is called. Snap led the way, and never was an Indian hunter more careful of his steps. He knew that the deer's ears were wide open for any unusual sound and even the cracking of a dry stick would attract their attention.

The journey over the rocks and through the timber was a laborious one. In some spots the undergrowth was so thick that further progress seemed, at first, impossible. Once Giant got caught so completely that the others had to help him free himself. Hardly a word was uttered, and then only in the faintest of whispers.

At last Snap felt they must be close to where Shep had seen the game, and he motioned for the doctor's son to take the lead.

"You saw 'em—-you ought to have first chance at 'em," he whispered.

"I want you all to fire," was the reply.

An instant later came a faint sound ahead, and looking through the trees, the four boy hunters saw three deer walking swiftly along. One was a beautiful doe not more than half grown.

"There is our chance!" cried Shep, excitedly. "Now then, all together!"

Snap wanted to know what animal he was to fire at, but got no chance to ask, for just then one of the deer raised its head and sniffed the air suspiciously. Then the two large ones began to run with the doe at their heels.

Crack! bang! went the rifle and shotguns, as the young hunters took hasty aim. When the smoke cleared away they saw the doe stretched on the ground and one of the deer limping forward painfully. The other deer was out of sight.

"Come on—-we can get that wounded one!" cried Whopper, and ran forward with might and main.

As it happened the wounded deer was the mother of the doe, and the wound, and the loss of its offspring, made the animal savage. As Whopper turned towards it, the deer suddenly made for the boy.

"Look out!" yelled Snap, but before Whopper could turn aside the deer was on him and had knocked him to the ground. Then the deer struck out with its hoofs, landing on Whopper's shoulder and cheek.

It was a moment of extreme peril, for there could be no doubt but that the deer meant to kill the young hunter. Shep raised his shotgun to fire, but was afraid to do so for fear of hitting Whopper, who was trying to rise.

"He'll be killed!" shrieked Giant, but just then Snap, using his rifle as a club, struck the mother deer in the side. The creature rolled over.

Bang! went Giant's shotgun, and the report of Shep's firearm followed. The deer struggled for a moment, then gave a final kick and expired.

When the boys ran to Whopper's side they found his eyes closed. He was breathing faintly and that was all.

"Is he—-he dead?" asked Giant hoarsely, for Whopper was very dear to the small youth.

"No, but he is badly hurt," answered Snap. "Shep, run and fill your cap with water. I'll loosen his coat and collar."

The blood was pouring from the sharp cut in Whopper's cheek and his coat was torn on the shoulder from the deer's hoofs. When the water was brought, Snap bathed him tenderly, and Giant fanned him with a cedar branch. In a few minutes he opened his eyes.

"Ta—-take the de—-deer away!" he murmured.

"It's all right, Whopper, the deer is dead," answered Snap.

"Oh!" Whopper breathed a sigh of relief.

"I am gl—-glad of it!"

"You've had a close call of it," said Shep. "I was scared to death." And his still pale face showed that he spoke the truth.

It was several minutes before Whopper felt like sitting up. He was "all of a tremble," as he expressed it, and standing on his feet was out of the question.

"You take it easy," ordered Snap. "We'll bring the boat around to that cove below here and then carry you down."

"Do—-don't leave me!" pleaded the hurt one. "That other deer may come back!"

"No danger," said Giant. "But I'll stay with you, Whopper, while Snap and Shep get the boat."

It was a good half hour before they had the hurt one and the game aboard the Snapper. Here the doctor's son opened up the medicine case which his father had insisted he should take along, and Whopper was given a little stimulant, and the cuts on his cheek and his shoulder were properly plastered up. He was made comfortable on some cushions in the stern and told to take it easy.

"I had no idea a deer would fight so fiercely," he said, when the others had resumed their rowing. "Those hoofs were mighty hard and sharp, I can tell you!"

By one o'clock the young hunters reached a spot that looked good enough for a midday camp, and going ashore they lit a fire and prepared dinner. They made themselves a pot of rich cocoa and of this Whopper partook freely and it seemed to strengthen him wonderfully.

"I think we ought to stay here until to-morrow," said Snap. "It will give Whopper a chance to recover," and so it was decided, and the tent was gotten out and erected between two small trees which stood handy.

That night they treated themselves to venison steak, cut from the doe, and never was deer meat more tender or sweeter. They also had hot bread, made by Giant in a little stone oven. In the same oven Snap made a pan of baked beans, which were put away for future use.

The entire afternoon of the next day was spent in rowing around Lake Narsac. They did not linger around the north shore, for it was wild and uninviting, and they had no desire to make the acquaintance of the snakes said to swarm there. They spent two hours inspecting a large cove to the westward, and finally concluded that this spot offered the best place for a permanent camp. There was a sandy beach, where swimming would be good, plenty of the right kind of growth for firewood, and from the rocks some distance back gushed a spring of cold and pure water.

"This is good enough for anybody," said Snap, after a careful inspection. "We can use the tent if we wish, or we can erect a cabin."

"Oh, let us put up a cabin!" cried Giant. "It is such fun building one. Don't you remember the other shelters we built?"

"If you build a cabin you'll have to count me out," said Whopper. "I think I'll be on the retired list for at least a few days more."

"Whopper shall be the general boss," cried Snap. He took off his cap. "In honor of our wounded comrade, I move we call this spot Camp Whopper. All in favor say aye!"

"Aye!" came from Shep and Giant promptly.

"Camp Whopper it is," said Snap. "Three cheers for Whopper and his namesake!" And the cheers were given with a will.

"Whopper, you ought to make a speech," said Giant. "Tell us how grateful you are, how you appreciate the deep honor, and all that—-and then invite us all out to cake, lemonade, ice cream soda, strawberry shortcake, cocoanut pie, cream puffs, and a few more delicacies."

"Ice cream!" murmured Whopper. "Say, some ice cream would be great, eh? But we can't have it out here, so what's the use of talking about it? As for a speech, I haven't got anything to say, excepting that I appreciate your kindness in naming the camp after yours truly. When I am a rich man and retired, and own a castle among the Thousand Islands, I shall surely call it—-let me see—-Snap-Shep-Giant Villa. There now, how's that?"

"Fine!" was the cry.

"Hark!" added Shep, a moment later.

"What did you hear?" questioned the others.

"I thought I heard somebody calling. There it goes again. Listen!"

All listened, and from out of the forest behind them came a cry, followed by a blood-curdling laugh. Then they heard as plain as day these words:

"I am dead! He is dead! Who will bury me? I am dead! He is dead! Ha! ha!"



CHAPTER XX

THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE

The four boy hunters were so astonished that for the moment they did not move or speak. The voice seemed to come from the trees behind the camp, and it was so uncanny and ghostlike it made them shiver from head to foot.

"It's th—-the ghost!" whispered Giant at last. "Le—-let's get out of here!" and he started for the shore.

"Don't run away," answered Snap. "I don't believe in ghosts, and neither do you."

After that the boys remained silent for several minutes, waiting to hear that mysterious voice again. But only the mournful hum of the breeze through a clump of cedars reached them.

"I believe I'll investigate this," said Snap, arising and reaching for a shotgun. "I don't believe in ghosts, so there!"

"I'll go along," put in the doctor's son.

"Please don't leave me alone!" pleaded Whopper. "I can't go and I don't want to be left behind."

"Giant, will you stay with Whopper?" asked the leader of the club.

"Yes, but I hope you won't be gone long," answered the small youth, in a voice he tried in vain to steady.

"If anything happens, whistle or fire a shot," added Snap, and walked slowly to the rear of the camping place, with Shep by his side.

The two young investigators soon found themselves beside the spring, and here both stopped for a drink, for their throats seemed to be suddenly, parched. They looked on all sides with extreme care, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Once a bird flew up directly in front of them, causing them to jump and raise their guns. But they were not after game just then, so the bird got away.

"We certainly heard that voice, just as plain as day," said Shep. "What do you make of this, Snap?"

"I am sure I don't know."

"Can somebody be fooling us?"

"I don't know. It's very queer proceedings, that's all I have to say."

"Listen! I thought I heard it again!"

They came to a sudden halt and strained their ears. Sure enough, there was the voice again, apparently coming from no place at all.

"I am dead! He is dead! Go away! Go away!" repeated the voice a dozen times or more, and then it grew fainter and fainter and presently died out altogether.

It would be hard to tell whether the boys were frightened or not. They were much disturbed, but they had a strong curiosity to know what the mysterious voice really was. Had it been night they might have experienced more fear, but it was still daylight, although the sun was well over in the west.

Holding their guns ready to shoot anything on sight, they advanced slowly through the forest, making a circle first to one side and then to the other. As they advanced they stirred up several birds and also two squirrels but did not fire at them. Thus an hour passed, and at last they came back to the spring utterly baffled.

"I can't understand it at all," declared Snap. "There must be some reason for this."

"It's a trick, that's what it is, and some day somebody will get to the bottom of it," added the doctor's son.

They returned to where they had left Whopper and Giant. As it grew darker they built a good campfire and resolved to keep it burning brightly all night.

"Maybe if this particular spot is haunted, we had better go somewhere else," suggested Giant.

"I move we stay right here until we find out what that thing means," said Snap, stubbornly.

"I agree with Snap," added the doctor's son. "We all know well enough there are no such things as ghosts. Some day we'll solve this mystery."

Both Snap and Shep spoke so positively that Whopper and Giant were reassured. The tent was fixed up for the night, and Whopper was soon fast asleep. The others took turns at standing guard, but nothing came to disturb them.

In the morning it was decided to begin building a cabin without delay. As Whopper could not work he went out to fish, but remained within easy calling distance.

The young hunters worked all of that week and also Monday of the next, and during that time nothing came to disturb them. Once they sighted a deer up the lake shore and went after the game, but without success. Whopper spent most of his time fishing and brought in, besides trout and perch, several good sized maskalonge, although no particular fish as large as the maskalonge Giant had captured the summer previous.

As the days went by and nothing more was heard of the mysterious voice, the young hunters grew more confident and almost forgot about the affair. The building of the cabin interested them very much, and although the structure was foursquare and plain, it was waterproof and fairly comfortable. It had two small windows, and the door opened on the lake side. In the rear a small opening was left near the ground, and here they constructed a rude fireplace and chimney of such rocks as they found handy, smearing the cracks full of clay. Their work on the fireplace and chimney might have caused a regular mason to smile, but the chimney drew well, and that was all they wanted.

As soon as the cabin was finished the young hunters moved in and proceeded to make themselves at home. Then they cut enough firewood to last for a week or more, stacking it up so that it might keep dry even in rainy weather. This done, they felt they could now take it easy, and fish and hunt whenever it pleased them to do so.

A hard rain, lasting a day and a night, was followed by a clear, warm spell and during that time the boys enjoyed themselves to their hearts' content. Whopper was now practically well, although the cut on his cheek still sported several bits of court-plaster. Every morning the young hunters got up at sunrise and took a dip in the lake, following this up by a good rub-down, for they had brought the necessary coarse towels with them. This always rendered them wideawake and gave them appetites which could not have been better. They took turns at cooking and baking, and at washing dishes and keeping the fire supplied with wood. They were certainly happy, and the time seemed to "fairly fly," as Shep expressed it.

One afternoon, when Snap and Giant were fishing just below the camp, both boys chanced to glance down the lake and saw a large boat hugging the shore. It contained several persons, but was too far off for anybody to be recognized. The boat remained in sight several minutes and then disappeared into one of the numerous coves along the shore.

"More campers," was Snap's comment. "Well, I suppose they have as much right up here as we have."

"I'd like to know who they are," answered Giant.

"Perhaps they'll come this way later in the day, or to-morrow."

"I always like to know if other hunters are in the woods, and I like them to know I am there, too," went on the leader of the club. "Then there is not so much danger of an accident. I don't want somebody to take me for a deer or a bear and shoot me."

"If we find they are stopping around this vicinity we'll have to notify them that we are here," answered Giant.

That day went by and also the next, and they, saw no more of the strangers. Then Shep came in with the announcement that he had seen four or five deer up the lake shore.

"I am sure we can get one or more of them if we hurry," declared the doctor's son.

They were all willing to go after the deer, and having shut up the cabin and kicked out the campfire so that it might not set fire to the woods should a stiff breeze spring up, they set off on foot, taking to a deer trail, which ran a short distance back from the water's edge.

The walking was by no means good, but this the boys did not mind. The life in the open was making them strong and able to endure almost anything. Their cheeks were full and round and their complexions a healthy tan. All felt like whistling and singing, but they knew they must make as little noise as possible.

If anybody was nervous it was Whopper and the others said nothing when he dragged a little behind. But all kept on steadily until they knew they must be close to the spot where the game had been seen.

"Suppose I go ahead and take a look?" asked Shep, and the others nodded. A moment later the doctor's son disappeared among the bushes lining the lake shore.

When he came back he said the deer were moving up the lake front and as a consequence all hands followed with all possible speed. They kept up the chase for nearly an hour and once saw the game, but the deer were too far away to take a shot. Then the game started to run, and speedily disappeared.

"That's the time we got left," grumbled Shep. "Too bad!"

"It can't be helped," answered Snap. "We can't expect to bring down something every time we go out. If we did that there would be no fun in hunting."

Then the young hunters started back for camp, never dreaming of the disagreeable surprise which awaited them.



CHAPTER XXI

IN WHICH THE ENEMY APPEARS AGAIN

On the way back to camp Shep brought down a squirrel and Whopper knocked over a rabbit, so the quest after game was not altogether fruitless.

The boys had covered a good stretch of ground, and they were pretty well tired out when they came within sight of the cabin.

"Oh, fellows, look!" screamed Giant suddenly. "The cabin is on fire!"

He pointed ahead, and a glance showed his chums that he spoke the truth. All broke into a run, and they reached the shelter almost in the time it takes to tell it. Smoke was coming out of the door and windows, but as yet the fire had gained little headway. It was confined to some brushwood which had been thrust inside, against one of the log walls.

"Some enemy has done this!" cried Snap, angrily. "Look out, I am going to drag this fire outside."

With his bare hands Snap caught at one end of burning brush and hauled it through the open doorway. As soon as he had done this the doctor's son leaped into the cabin and kicked out the rest of the fire. He could stay but a minute, for the smoke almost strangled him. Then Whopper and Giant went in and made certain the fire was out. Soon the smoke commenced to clear away; and the momentary excitement was over.

"Now, what does this mean?" demanded Snap, and his voice was full of anger.

"It means that we have been cleaned out," answered the doctor's son, after a hasty glance around. "Look!"

He pointed to a shelf in a corner on which they, had placed some of their stores, and then to the fireplace, and to the log that had contained their cups, plates and cooking utensils. Everything was gone.

"Robbed!" said Whopper, laconically. "What a shame!

"And they were going to burn down the cabin on us, too," added Giant, bitterly. "I wonder if they touched the boat?"

At this question all ran outside and down to where the Snapper had been tied to an overhanging tree. The rowboat had disappeared.

"Well, if this isn't the limit!" groaned Shep.

"Boat gone, cooking utensils gone, supplies gone—-everything gone but our firearms! Who could have done it?"

"Maybe the Felps crowd," suggested Whopper.

"Or Ham Spink's gang," added Giant. "Or the ghost."

"I don't believe the ghost had anything to do with this," said Snap. "I think it was either the Felps or the Spink crowd. It looks just like some of their dirty work."

"Well, this thing was done within the last three hours," came from the doctor's son. "The question is, what have they done with the boat and our stuff? Of course, we must get them back."

"We ought to have somebody arrested for this," put in Whopper.

"Perhaps, Whopper, but we've got to catch them first," answered the leader of the club.

All looked eagerly up and down the lake, and across to the other shore. Shep imagined he saw a boat pulled up in the bushes on the other side, but was by no means sure.

"If we can't get our things back we'll have to go home," said Giant, soberly.

"I am not going home!" cried Snap. "We've got our guns and some ammunition, and the deer."

"I wonder if they touched the deer?" All rushed back to where the big deer had been left, hung up in a cool spot in the forest. Evidently the enemy had not seen this game, and it was untouched. Looking around near the water front they found a small box of salt, a spoon, and some scattered cartridges for the rifle. Evidently the marauders had left in haste and dropped the things on the way.

"I am glad we have the salt," observed Snap. "Those thieves ought to have the salt down their throats," muttered Whopper. "They are altogether too fresh!"

The young hunters walked around the camp for half an hour and more. They did not know what to do. They were hungry, but in no humor for eating. They wanted to get on the track of their stolen belongings, but did not know bow to strike out.

"Maybe some tramps came along and did this," suggested Snap, dropping on the ground to rest. "Some of that class of fellows would think it fine sport to clean us out."

"One thing is certain," said Shep, "and that gives me an idea," he added suddenly. "The boat must be somewhere on this lake, and it can't leave excepting by the river that runs into Firefly Lake. Perhaps it would be a good idea for us to go down to the river and set a watch for the thieves."

"It's a long tramp," answered Giant. "And don't forget the snakes down there. If we——-"

Giant broke off short as a distant gunshot sounded out. It was followed presently by a second shot. Then all became as quiet as before.

"Those shots came from across the lake!" cried Snap.

"Yes, and right close to the spot where I thought I saw that boat," added the doctor's son.

Fellows, I believe there is a camp over there, and if we can manage to get across perhaps we'll learn something about our belongings."

"How are we to get over without a boat?" demanded Whopper. "It's too far to swim. The water is so cold a fellow would get cramps before he was half over."

"We might build a raft," suggested Snap, who had been favorably impressed by Shep's words. "There are a number of logs lying around that we cut for firewood, and I saw some wild grapevines back of the spring which will do very well for ropes. We could take off the most of our clothing, so it wouldn't matter if we got wet."

The proposal to build a raft was approved by all, and they set to work without delay. It had been after four o'clock when they got back to the cabin and it was dark by the time the raft was ready for use. It was a clumsy affair, made of rough logs, spliced together with grapevine shoots, and it was barely large enough to carry the four boys. They took off their coats and shoes and socks, and rolled their trousers up to the knees.

"Talk about a life on the ocean wave!" sang out Whopper. "This steam yacht would take the first prize at any cattle show, eh?" And this quaint remark caused a general laugh.

In the center of the raft a small log was set upright, not as a mast but as a support for their guns, for they did not wish the weapons or their ammunition to get wet. Nobody thought of crossing the lake without the firearms.

"We may have to fight to get our things back," was the way Snap expressed himself. "And our guns may come in mighty handy."

"Let us try to reach a point some distance below where Shep thought he saw the boat," suggested Snap. "Then we can land and not let the others know what we are doing. We don't want to rush in on any crowd that is too large for us. That would simply make more trouble for us."

Snap's proposal was considered a wise one.

Soon the young hunters had poled the raft from shore and then they started to propel it across the lake. Two of the boys had rude paddles and the others cedar branches. The progress made was not great but it was sure, and they were content.

It was pitch dark when the rude raft struck the opposite shore of Lake Narsac. They came in among some brushwood and landed without great difficulty. They donned their socks and shoes, put on their coats, and slung their guns across their backs.

"We'll tie up the raft," said Snap. "For all we know we may have to come back to it."

"Oh, I hope not!" murmured Giant.

With extreme caution they picked their way among the trees and bushes and across the rough rocks. Once Giant rolled over and over down some of the slanting rocks and would have got a ducking in the lake had not Snap stopped him just in time.

"Be careful," whispered the leader of the club.

"Don't let go of one footing until you are sure of the next."

They covered a distance of two hundred yards, when Snap called a halt.

"What now?" questioned Shep.

"I see a small campfire—-through yonder trees."

"Then there is a party here beyond a doubt!" cried Whopper excitedly.

"You fellows wait here and I'll crawl forward and investigate," went on Snap. "It may pay us to go at this as quietly as possible."

"Don't get into trouble," warned the doctor's son.

"If I do you'll hear of it quick enough," answered Snap.

Then with great caution he crawled through the brushwood in the direction of the distant campfire.



CHAPTER XXII

A LIVELY TIME IN THE DARK

Slowly but surely Snap got closer to the campfire, which was built in a little hollow and screened from the lake by a wall of rocks.

"They built the fire there so that we couldn't see it from across the lake," reasoned the young hunter, and he was right.

Presently he was near enough to make out six forms around the fire. Then he recognized Ham Spink, Carl Dudder, Jack Voss, and some other of the lads of the town who usually went with Ham and Carl. One boy, named Ike Akley, was a ne'er-do-well, who had once set a barn on fire and burned up two cows. For this he had been locked up, but his father had procured his release by paying heavy damages.

The crowd around the campfire were eating supper and talking in such low tones that Snap could not make out what was said. They seemed to be in the best of spirits, as if something had happened to please them greatly.

Between the campfire and the lake a large tent had been erected. Near the tent, on the ground, lay portions of a camping outfit, and Snap wondered if it could be the things belonging to himself and his friends.

Suddenly the idea struck Snap to take a look at what might be near the water, and he moved in that direction. He had to pass through a fringe of brushwood and then he gained a tiny cove, well screened from the lake proper by a number of overhanging trees. Here it was so dark he could see but little. He felt his way along and soon reached a fair-sized boat, tied to a tree.

The craft was not the one belonging to his party and he was a trifle disappointed. Then he saw another boat and his heart gave a bound.

"It must be the Snapper!" he murmured and hurried to the second craft. But this proved to be nothing but a canoe, and again his heart sank.

"Maybe we've made a mistake after all," he thought dismally, but continued to move around the cove. To reach one point he had to push through some more bushes, and in the midst of these he fairly tumbled over a third boat, piled high with various camping things. He gave a close look and almost uttered a cry of triumph.

"Our boat, and all of our things! Here's luck at last!"

As well as he was able in the dark, he looked over the articles in the Snapper. The things were in great confusion, showing they had been thrown in in a hurry. But almost everything appeared to be there, and for this he was thankful.

Snap's next thought was to go back and tell his chums of his discovery. But then he reasoned that this would take time and in the meanwhile someone of the other crowd might come down to the boat and take away some of the things.

"I'll take this boat around to where we left the raft," he told himself, and set to work to shove the Snapper into deep water without delay. This was no light task, for the outfit on board was heavy, and Snap had to work like a Trojan to accomplish it.

The Snapper safely floated, another idea popped into the young hunter's mind and made him grin broadly.

"Tit for tat," he murmured, and set to work to float out the other rowboat and the canoe. Once they were free of the shore he tied both to the stern of the Snapper, and then settled down to row along the lake shore.

"Hi there!" came a sudden call out of the darkness. "Who are you?"

Snap was startled, but he did not drop his oars nor did he stop rowing. He was just rounding one of the points of the cove, and now he saw somebody running toward the point at top speed.

"I say, who are you?" continued the party on shore, and now Snap recognized Ham Spink's voice.

"None of your business!" answered Snap gruffly and in as heavy a tone as he could command.

"You are running away with our boats!" continued Ham, in consternation. "Hi, fellows, come here! Somebody is running away with all the boats!" he bawled.

His cries soon reached those around the campfire, and a grand rush was made to the water's edge. By this time Snap had rounded the point of the cove and was rowing as rapidly as possible in the direction where the raft lay.

"Stop him!"

"He has all the boats!"

"Who can he be?"

"Must be somebody from that other camp!"

Such were some of the cries uttered. Then someone ran for a shotgun, but by this time Snap was out of sight around a fringe of brushwood. He continued to row his best, and before very long gained the spot where the raft rested. Then he leaped ashore and ran in the direction of the campfire.

"This way, fellows!" he cried. "I have the boat! Back to the raft! Back to the raft!" And he gave the well-known whistle.

In a few minutes he encountered Giant and Whopper and learned that Shep had gone forward, to find out what the cries at the lake front meant.

"We must get him to come back," he said. "You go down to the boats and the raft and get them ready to shove off on short notice." And he ran closer to the campfire.

The entire camp was now in wild commotion, for each lad present understood that all the boats were gone. Ham Spink and Carl Dudder were in a rage.

"We should have placed somebody on guard," cried Ham. "We were chumps not to do it."

"I didn't think anybody would be over here so quick," answered Carl. "How could they do it without a boat?"

"Maybe they had another boat," put in Ike Akley. "We missed it by not looking around a little closer."

"Whoever he is, he isn't rowing across the lake," said Ham. "Let us run along the shore and see if we can't get at him some way."

As there seemed to be nothing else to do, this plan was carried out. The crowd, however, had only gone a short distance when they literally ran into Shep, who had gone forward as already mentioned.

"Here is one of 'em now," shouted Carl Dudder, as he caught Shep by the arm. The next moment he received a blow in the chest that sent him reeling backward.

"Who is it?" asked several.

"Shep Reed. Stop him—-he is running away!"

Carl was right, the doctor's son was doing his best to escape. But before he had gone a dozen steps Ham Spink, Ike Akley and Jack Voss were on top of him and had borne him to the ground. They did not treat him any too gently and he was kicked in the side and the breath was literally knocked out of him.

"St—-stop! Do—-don't ki—-kill m—-me!" he gasped, when he could speak.

"What are you doing here, Shep Reed?" demanded Ham, angrily.

"Came over after our things."

"How do you know we have your things?"

"Well, we thought you'd be just mean enough to take our outfit—-you did something like that before, if you'll remember."

"Humph!"

"Will you let me up?"

"We will if you'll promise not to run away," answered Carl.

"That's the talk—-let us make a prisoner of him!" cried Ike Akley.

"You have no right to touch me," said Shep. "You did very wrong to steal our things, and to try to burn down our cabin."

"We—-er—-we didn't steal any things—-we just ran off with them," said Ham Spink.

"It amounts to the same thing."

"Then your crowd just stole our boat and our canoe," put in Carl Dudder.

"Is your boat gone?" asked Shep, for this was the first he knew of it.

"You know well enough it is."

"Where is our boat and our outfit?"

"Didn't you just take that too?" asked Jack Voss.

"Oh, then Snap——-" began the doctor's son, and broke off short.

"Was that Snap Dodge in the boat?" demanded Ham.

"What boat?"

"Your boat."

"I don't know anything about it."

"But you just said——-"

At that moment came a cry through the dark woods:

"Shep! Shep! where are you? Go back to the raft! It is all right—-we have the outfit back! Go back to the raft!"

It was Snap who was calling, and in another minute he appeared and confronted the crowd that was holding Shep a prisoner.



CHAPTER XXIII

THE LOSS OF THE RAFT

It was so dark under the trees that for the moment Snap did not recognize his chum. Then he uttered an exclamation of commingled wonder and alarm.

"Let go of him!" he cried. "Let go, I say!" and he caught Ham Spink by the arm.

"Capture him, fellows!" shouted Carl Dudder, and at once several of the Spink crowd fell upon Snap.

But Snap was not to be made a prisoner thus easily, and hitting out with all his might he sent Jack Voss reeling to the ground. Then he hit Ike Akley in the nose.

"Ouch!" yelled Ike, and put up his hand, to withdraw it covered with blood. "He has broken my nose!" And he fell back in alarm.

A rough and tumble struggle ensued, in which blows were given and taken freely. Snap was struck in the breast and in the cheek, but not seriously hurt. In the melee Shep managed to squirm free from those who held him and he quickly ranged up by his chum's side.

"What did you say about our outfit?" he panted.

"We've got it," answered Snap. "Come, we had better be going."

"Don't let them get away!" yelled Ham Spink, and made a jab for Snap. But just then the doctor's son hit out desperately and the rich youth received a blow in the mouth that loosened two teeth and caused him to retreat in a hurry.

For the moment the enemy were disconcerted, and taking advantage of this, Snap and Shep started on a run through the dark forest, moving as swiftly as the condition of the ground would permit. The Spink crowd came after them, shouting to them to stop. Carl Dudder called out that he would shoot if they did not halt.

"Do you think he'll do it?" asked Shep uneasily.

"I guess it's a bluff—-I don't think he has a gun or pistol," answered Snap, and he was right, for no shot followed.

When at last the two boys reached the spot where the raft had been moored they found everything in readiness for departure. Whopper and Giant had strung all the craft together in a line, making quite a flotilla.

"They are after us—-we've got to dust out lively!" cried Shep, as he and his chum struck the water's edge.

"You can't get in the Snapper," explained Whopper. "The outfit is in such a jumble there is no room."

"You stay where you are," ordered Snap. "I'll get in their rowboat and Shep can get in the canoe. There will be no hurry, once we are away from the shore."

There was little time to say more, for a crashing in the brushwood told them that the enemy was close at hand. They had missed the trail but now found it again. They came out on the lake shore while yet those on the water were close by.

"Here they are!"

"They have the boat and the canoe!"

"Where did that raft come from?"

"Good-bye!" sang out Whopper. "Hope you enjoy yourselves. You can get another boat down to Fairview, if you want one."

"You come back here!" yelled Ham Spink, in great rage.

"If you don't come back with our boats I'll have you arrested," put in Carl Dudder.

"Do so, and we'll have your whole crowd arrested for stealing our outfit," came from Giant.

"And for trying to burn down our cabin," added Shep.

"I didn't burn down your cabin," said Ham, hastily.

"Well, somebody did."

"It wasn't me," said Carl, and he looked at Ike Akley as he spoke. That boy shifted uneasily but said nothing.

While the talking was going on Jack Voss had quietly slipped off a portion of his clothing. Now he made a leap into the lake and swam rapidly for the raft.

"Get back there—-unless you want to get hurt!" cried Snap, who saw the movement. But Voss kept on swimming and soon gained the raft. Then he took hold of the rope that connected it with the canoe, untied the raft, and swam with the end of the rope back towards shore.

"That's the way to do it!" sang out Ham. "Bring the rope in and we'll pull them back!"

"Pull! pull!" shouted Snap, and he and his chums did their best to send the two rowboats and the canoe away from the shore. But the boy in the water had gained a good footing on the rocks and he held fast.

"Come in here and help me!" he panted, and Ham and Carl prepared to do so. All had a good hold of the rope when something unexpected happened.

Taking out his pocketknife Shep leaned over the rear of the canoe and severed the rope that had been dragging the raft. As the rope parted down went the boys holding on with a loud splash! All disappeared beneath the surface of the lake and each came up with his mouth full of water. In the meantime, relieved of the weight of the clumsy raft, the two rowboats and the canoe shot out into the lake a distance of a hundred feet or more. There our friends rested, wondering what the enemy would try to do next.

In the darkness the water seemed extra cold, and the lads who had received a ducking could not help but shiver as they crawled to the shore. They had gained possession of the raft, but they did not appear to be very happy over it.

"Are you coming back with our boat or not?" demanded Ham Spink, after an awkward pause, during which our friends remained silent.

"Why should we come back?" answered Snap. "You treated us very shabbily."

"Well, didn't you deserve it?" came from Carl Dudder. "You shot off our fireworks on the Fourth of July. We heard all about it."

"Didn't you try to steal our clothing when we were in swimming?" said Whopper.

"It was a mean piece of business to try to burn down our cabin and to run away with all we had," said Giant. "Perhaps you wanted to starve us into going home."

"It was only a bit of fun," pleaded Ham Spink. "We—-er—-we were going to return your outfit to-morrow."

"I don't believe it," said the doctor's son promptly.

"Ain't you going to give us back our boat and the canoe?" asked Ike Akley.

"That depends," answered Snap. He whispered something to his chums. "We'll let you know to-morrow. It's too late to do anything more to-night."

"Then you are going to take the boat and the canoe away?" asked Carl Dudder.

"For the present, yes. Meet us at this place to-morrow morning at ten o'clock and we'll talk business to you."

"All right—-we'll do it," answered Ham, after whispering to his cronies. "But don't fail to come," he added.

"We'll be on hand," answered Snap, and then he and his chums moved further out into the lake with the boats and the canoe, and were soon lost to sight in the gloom of the night.

"Well, this is the worst yet," growled Ike Akley, when he and his cronies were left alone. "We thought we were going to have the best of it and now they have turned the tables on us."

"Have they?" came from Ham Spink. "That remains to be seen."

"How?" demanded several of the others.

"Do you think I am going to bed, or sit down and suck my thumbs? Not much! I am going to do something."

"What are you going to do?" asked Jack Voss.

"Go over to their camp, and after they have gone to bed take all the boats away—-and take whatever else we can get hold of, too. Then I am going to find a new camp—-some place where they can't locate us very easily."

"How are you going to get to their camp?" asked Carl, with interest.

"On the raft—-same as they got over here."

"Hurrah, that's the plan!" cried another of the party. "They'll think we are over here, waiting for them to show up at ten o'clock to-morrow morning. Won't they be surprised when they get up and find the things minus!"

"They may set a guard;" suggested Ike Akley.

"If they do we'll have to make him a prisoner and gag him."

"When shall we start?" asked one of the boys.

"Let us dry ourselves by the campfire first," said Ham. "And we may as well get something to eat too, for there is no telling how long we'll be gone."

This suggestion was considered a good one, and the whole crowd went back to the camp. While some changed their wet clothes for dry, others prepared a meal and this all took time in eating. Then all hands went down to the raft and embarked for the other side of the lake.



CHAPTER XXIV

OUT ON A SAND BAR

The stars had gone under a cloud and out on the lake it was so dark that Snap and his chums could not see twenty feet in any direction.

"We are going to have our own troubles finding our camp," he said, after about a quarter of the distance across Lake Narsac had been covered.

"It's as black as a stack of cats," murmured Whopper. "Has anybody got a lantern?"

Nobody had, and even matches were at a premium. The boys rowed and paddled on a short distance further and then came to a halt in a bunch.

"I must confess I am more or less turned around already," said the doctor's son. "Is our shore over there?" and he pointed with his hand.

"I think so," answered Giant.

"I think it is yonder," answered Snap, and pointed at right angles to the direction Shep had mentioned.

"And I think it is about between the two," finished Whopper.

"Let us take the course Whopper thinks is right," said Snap. "We can't be so very far wrong anyway."

Anxious to get back to camp and get some rest, they pulled with vigor. They kept this up for fully ten minutes and then the forward boat slid up on a bar of sand, followed quickly by the second boat and the canoe.

"Here, this won't do!" cried Shep.

"Are we near shore?" questioned Whopper. "I can't see any land."

Neither could the others, and all were more or less worried. They had struck the sand bar with such force that they had been carried well up on it when they tried to shove the boats off they, found the task too much for them. The canoe, however, came away with little difficulty.

"Shep, you paddle around and see if you can locate the shore," suggested Snap, and the doctor's son sent the canoe first in one direction and then another. He was not afraid to go out of sight, since he could easily hear their voices in the stillness of the night.

"I don't see any shore," he announced, after a search of a quarter of an hour. "We must be stuck somewhere in the middle of the lake."

"That can't be—-the middle is far too deep for any sand bars," answered Whopper.

"Well, you can hunt around if you want to," said the doctor's son, rather shortly. The paddling had made him very tired.

Snap and Whopper now got into the canoe, and they went twice as far as Shep had been. At last they struck a point of land in a direction they had imagined was far out in the lake. They followed this up and soon came to the shore, but where they did not know.

"I think we are either above or below our camp," said Snap.

"Or else on the same side of the lake that we started from," said Whopper. "It would be just our luck to get completely twisted in this teetotal darkness. It's worse than a pocket in a coal mine!"

They paddled back to the others and told them of what they had discovered. Then a portion of the outfit was transferred to the empty rowboat, and another effort was made to float both craft. At last the rowboats slid off the sand bar, and then they pulled to the point of land without further mishap.

No one could tell where they were, but Snap, Giant and Whopper imagined the spot must be half a mile or more below their camp. They had landed in a wild place, and walking along the shore was out of the question.

"We might as well stay where we are until morning," said Snap. "If we try to move in this darkness we may only fall into more trouble."

But the others preferred to get back to camp if possible, and Whopper volunteered to paddle up the shore, while Shep rowed in the other direction. If either found the camp he was to whistle or fire a shot as a signal.

"Listen," said Giant, after he and Snap had been left alone over a quarter of an hour. "I hear voices!"