ore they reached the meeting point they heard the long-drawn
"Woohoo!" of Jim Nance calling them in. They were the only ones
out at that time. Tad set up a series of answering "woos-hoos" that
caused Silver Face to wiggle his ears disapprovingly, as if this were
some new method of torture invented for his special benefit.

As they got in sight of the rest of the party, the boys set up a shout.
Their companions, about that time, discovered that Tad was carrying
something before him on the pony. Chunky and Ned started on a run to
meet Tad and Walter. How Chunky did yell when he discovered what that
something was.

"They've got a cat! They've got a cat!" he howled, dancing about and
swinging his arms. "I tell you, they've got a cat!"

Tad rode into camp smiling, flinging the lion to the ground, which
caused Tad's pony to perform once more.

"Who shot him?" cried the Professor, fully as excited as the boys.

"This is a partnership cat," laughed Tad. "We both have some bullets
in him. How many did you fellows get?"

"Well, I had one, but he got away," answered Stacy, his face sobering
instantly. "And---and he carried off my rifle too."

"What's that?" demanded Tad.

Chunky explained briefly. But he had little opportunity to talk. Dad,
who had been examining the dead lion, straightened up and looked at Tad.

"Good job, boys. It's a dandy. Must weigh nigh onto three hundred
pounds. Have much of a tussle with him?"

"Not any. He was dead when he got down to us."

"Very fine specimen," decided the Professor, examining the dead beast
from a respectable distance. "You lads are to be congratulated."

"Say, I'm going with you to-morrow," cried Stacy. "These folks don't
know how to hunt lions."

"Do you?" demanded Nance witheringly.

Stacy colored violently.

"At least I know how to stalk them," he answered. "If I lose my gun in
the excitement that doesn't mean that I'm not a natural born lion
chaser. Anybody can shoot a lion, but everybody can't sit still and
charm the lion right up to him."

They admitted that the fat boy was right in this assertion. Chunky
had done all of that. Upon their return to camp, Walter and Tad had
asked numerous questions about the loss of the gun. There was little
additional information that either Stacy or the two men could give
them. The gun had most mysteriously disappeared, that was all. Nance
was more puzzled than any of the others and he groped in vain for