ng bag," said Mr. Waterman, when Bob got out of
the tent.

"Are we leaving right away?" asked Bob.

"Yes, just as soon as Jack can rustle a cup of coffee and something to
eat for us. He'll be ready as soon as we can get our things in shape."

Bob hustled back to the tent and very quietly got his sleeping bag ready
for travel. He made a neat pack of it and hurried over to the grub tent.
Jack and Pierre were serving Mr. Waterman already so that Bob got a
hasty breakfast. He enjoyed it, for there was an atmosphere of
suppressed excitement that was altogether new to him. Ten minutes later
they were getting into two canoes. When Bob reappeared with his pack and
his gun, Mr. Waterman asked,

"What are you going to do with that gun?"

"I don't know," said Bob. "I saw that you all had guns and so I toted
mine along."

"Now I know you're excited," said Mr. Waterman. "When a Southerner
begins to talk about 'you all' and 'toting' things, he's just plain
excited."

Bob just laughed quietly, for he knew that Mr. Waterman was right.

They at last got away without waking up the two boys.

"I bet Pud and Bill will be mad as sin when they find me gone with you,"
said Bob to Mr. Waterman.

"Yes, I suppose that they would like to come, but you know we may run
into trouble of some kind and in that case, it will be best not to have
too many along," replied Mr. Waterman.

"I can't make this out," said Jack. "There is something amiss, for every
one knows that in this country, all one has to do is to ask and any grub
that one has will be shared."

"Bad man," said Pierre. "He no have to steal if he not be bad."

"You may be right," said Mr. Waterman.

By this time they were on the first portage. When they came to the place
where Bob had noticed the tracks, Pierre and Jack stopped and examined
them attentively.

"He no want to be seen," said Pierre.

"He's a corking good woodsman," said Jack.

"You're both right," replied Mr. Waterman. "Later on, we shall see how
clever he is in concealing a trail."

When they came to the second lake, Mr. Waterman remarked to Bob that he
would paddle down the north end of the lake to see if either Jack or
Pierre would notice the trail. This they did and despite the sharp eyes
of the two guides, they did not notice any trail starting from the
water's edge. Mr. Waterman led them back and taking a line on a very big
tamarack tree that he had noted before, they got out of their canoes.
They h