on it the bird would be on the wing and quite safe from
anything he could do with a rifle. At last Ned began to push himself
inch by inch toward the rifle, while Dick sat silent and breathless
with excitement. Very slowly Ned progressed until his hand touched
the rifle. Before he could move it the fraction of an inch, the
turkey saw the trouble in store for him and was off. Ned grabbed the
rifle and took a harmless snapshot at the bird, while Dick rushed
for his gun and sent after the turkey, which was then a hundred
yards distant, a shower of shot which could never have overtaken it.

"Next time I eat I'm going to feed myself with one hand and hold my
gun in the other," said Dick. "I think I'll stay home to-morrow and
keep camp. Tom will go hunting with you. He's got sense and he
always keeps his weapons handy."

"Keeps 'em too handy for me. I don't like the way he looks at me
sometimes. He acts as if he wanted to feel of my ribs to see if I am
fat enough for his purposes. I reckon I'm the one to keep camp. My
rifle was right at my elbow, but I didn't seem to know enough to use
it. Dick! Look at that hole in that tree and all those insects
around it. It's a bee-tree. There's a barrel of honey there that
belongs to us!"

"Do you s'pose the bees know that it belongs to us, or will they
make trouble for us?"

"Of course they'll make trouble. You can't rob a hive without being
stung."

"I'm going to keep camp to-morrow, just as I told you, and let Tom
go with you. Wonder how he'd like to climb that tree."

"We will chop down that tree to-morrow and likely get stung a lot,
but you know, Dick, you wouldn't stay away for a farm."

"Better not try me. I wish I had a sheet-iron jacket and stove-pipe
pants. Let's go home. I want to see Tom and tell him about it. I'm
afraid he's lonesome."

But Dick didn't tell Tom anything, for when they got back to camp
Tom had gone. Dick scarcely tasted his supper and his sleep was
restless and troubled. He woke with a scream, from a terrible
nightmare in which a wild beast had him by the throat and was
crushing him to death under his tremendous weight. He was happy when
he woke to find that his dream was true. For Tom had come home and
showed his joy at the sight of Dick by leaping on the boy's chest
and licking his face and neck. Even Ned rejoiced that Tom had
returned and stroked his back, which for once the lynx graciously
permitted.

"You are glad that Tom has come back, aren