o 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