d of which
was very much to his satisfaction.

It was late when they reached camp, thoroughly tired out. Whopper
and Tommy were glad to see them, and immediately bustled about
to get them a good supper. Those left behind listened with interest
to the tale the others had to tell. When Shep told about the tracks
around the lonely cabin, tracks that had caused Jed Sanborn to ask
if they had seen a dog, Tommy looked greatly interested.

"Say!" he cried. "Do you suppose-----" And then he stopped short.

"Do we suppose what?" queried Shep.

"Oh, I suppose it couldn't be, but I was just thinking. Maybe that
isn't a crazy man at all."

"Well, what do you think it can be?" asked Giant.

"Maybe it's Abe, the runaway chimpanzee."

CHAPTER XXIX

THE BOTTOM OF A MYSTERY

All the others listened to Tommy's words with interest. Then Whopper
spoke of the face he had seen as looking particularly impish.

"It was pretty dark, so we couldn't see very well," said he. "It
might have been the chimpanzee."

"Would that chimpanzee steal a watch, and a camera, and a gun?"
demanded the doctor's son.

"He'll take whatever happens to interest him," answered the boy from
the circus. "They are constantly trying to teach him new tricks.
If you'll remember, one of his tricks is to fire a gun into the air.
And another is to look at a watch and pretend to tell the time."

"That's so!" cried Snap. "I saw him do both at the show."

"Would he untie our boat?" asked Giant.

"He might."

"If it is the chimpanzee we'll have a hard job of it catching him,"
said Shep slowly. "He won't stay at the cabin, but roam from place
to place---and there is no telling what he'll do with our things."

"Don't forget the reward that has been offered," said Giant. "If
we can find the chimpanzee we can get that as well as the reward
for the lion."

Whopper and Tommy had not been bothered by the Spink crowd, and
were of the opinion that the latter had shifted their camp to a
new locality, closer to the lake.

"Well, let them keep their distance, that's all I ask," said the
doctor's son.

The next day Snap, Shep and Giant rested, while Whopper and Tommy
went on a short hunt, bringing in some partridges and several
squirrels. The boys took a few pictures, Snap using an extra
camera that had been brought along. They now had a fine collection,
of which they were exceedingly proud.

Sunday passed, and still they heard nothing from Je