nswered 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