ould be a good thing to do, and after dividing
what remained of the food brought along, and getting a drink at a
spring, they selected a tree that suited their purpose and mounted
to the thickest of the limbs.

"Not a very comfortable bed," was Shep's comment. "But better than
falling into that lion's clutches."

"Shall we go back to the pit in the morning?" asked Whopper.

"No; let us go to camp first, and see how Giant and Tommy are
making out," said the doctor's son. "Most likely they'll be worrying
about us."

To keep from falling, the three young hunters tied themselves fast
in the tree. They tried to sleep, but this was almost impossible,
and the most each got were fitful naps, with many dreams of the lion.
All thoughts of other game were, for the time being, banished from
their minds.

At daybreak they descended to the ground and started for camp
without waiting to shoot something for breakfast. They calculated
they could get back before noon, and then they would eat a big
dinner at their leisure.

All thought they had the "lay of the land" well fixed in their
minds, and so they did not advance with the caution they might
otherwise have taken. As a consequence, they presently made a
false turn, and this brought them to a part of the mountains that
was exceedingly rocky and rough.

"Say, we can't get through here," declared Whopper at last. "Why,
it's worse than the Rocky Road to Dublin!"

"I believe we are off the right trail," returned Snap. "It seems
to me our camp must be in that direction," and he pointed to their
left.

"Perhaps you are right," said the doctor's son. "Anyway, we can't
get through here. We'll ruin our shoes and run the risk of breaking
our necks."

"Let us walk to the left," said Snap, and they turned back a short
distance. As they did this, they started up a number of rabbits
and, eager for some game, each blazed away, and as a consequence two
of the creatures were brought low.

"Not much, but something," said the doctor's son.

They pressed on, soon coming to some rocks that were quite smooth.

"Be careful here," cautioned Snap. "A tumble would be a nasty thing.
There is a cliff just below us."

He and the doctor's son went ahead and Whopper followed. The rocks
were even more slippery than they had anticipated. The doctor's
son was about to advise going back and walking around the cliff,
when Whopper called out:

"A deer! I see a deer!"

"Where?" asked