you."

"We'll watch out," answered Whopper. "If they try any funny
business we'll shoot them into the middle of next year!"

"Oh, don't shoot anybody!" cried Snap.

"Well, you know what I mean," answered the youth who loved to
exaggerate.

Shep and the others had expected to start off directly after breakfast,
but Snap had to fix one of his shoes, and this delayed them. But by
ten o'clock they were on the way, the others waving them a fond
farewell.

"We'll look for you by to-morrow night," said Tommy.

It was an easy matter to climb down the mountain side, but the walk
up the hill that separated them from the lake was another story.
Yet, as they had only their guns to carry, they made good progress,
and by the middle of the afternoon they were in plain sight of the
body of water where they had left the boat.

"Somebody ahead of us!" cried Snap presently, and pointed out three
persons walking toward the lake.

"I wonder if they can be members of the Spink crowd?" was Shep's
comment. "Let us get closer and see"

CHAPTER XVII

WHAT HAPPENED UNDER THE CLIFF

It was presently made evident to our friends that the persons ahead
were Ham Spink, Carl Dudder and a lad named Dick Bush, who had in
former years been a close personal friend to Ham.

"Wonder where they are going?" asked Snap.

"Down to the lake," answered the doctor's son. "Most likely to
where they left their boat."

"Let us keep behind them and out of sight," suggested Giant. "If
they see us they may follow us up and damage our boat after we are
gone."

So, although they kept the Spink crowd well in sight, they took
good care not to show themselves.

Reaching the lake shore, Ham Spink and his friends came to a halt
behind a clump of willows overhanging the water. Close by the
others saw a rowboat tied up.

"That must be their boat," whispered Snap. "Most likely they came
for the same purpose that we did---to get supplies."

"Listen!" whispered the doctor's son. "I just heard somebody
mention my name."

"Their boat must be somewhere along here," they heard Ham Spink
exclaim. "And if it is---We'll fix it, all right," finished
Carl Dudder. "Well, that's all right," expostulated Dick Bush.

"But we don't want to do anything unlawful. They might have us
arrested."

"They won't know who did it," answered Ham.

"What do you think of doing if you locate their boat?" asked Dick.

"We'll take out the supplies and hide 'em,