ere glad to get
back the things that had been found, but declared that so many
other articles had been ruined they would have to give up their
outing.

"Let's be generous to them," whispered Shep to his chums. "I
don't think we want to stay after the circus people come for the
lion and the chimpanzee." And after some talking the young hunters
offered the Spink crowd part of their food supplies and a few other
things. This surprised Ham, Carl and the rest. They accepted the
offer on the spot, and a better feeling prevailed between the boys
than had for many months.

"It's very nice of you to do this," said Dick Bush. "I shan't
forget it."

"I'm sorry I accused you of ruining the camp," came from Ham.

"So am I," added Carl. "But---well, you know how it was."

"We'll let bygones be bygones," said the doctor's son. "It's
better to be friends than enemies."

"I---I suppose so," said Ham humbly, and then he and his cronies
took their departure.

The young hunters watched out for the reappearance of Jed Sanborn,
Snap and Shep going to Firefly Lake for that purpose. Two days
later they saw the old hunter coming to the shore with a big
flat-bottomed boat, containing four men. The men were from the
circus and said they had come for the captured lion.

"We want to make sure of that reward," said the doctor's son.

"All right, young man, turn the lion over to us and the money
is yours," said one of the men. "But we'll want a receipt from
all the boys who captured the beast."

"You'll get that," said Snap. "You offered a reward for the
chimpanzee, too, didn't you?"

"Certainly; five hundred dollars."

"Well, we've got him, too."

"You have? How did you do it?" asked the man, and very briefly Snap
related the tale, but did not give Tommy's name.

"That boy is in luck, for the half thousand is his," said the
circus man. "Glad you got Abe," he added. "He is a great drawing-card
and worth a dozen lions to us."

A visit was made to the lion pit, and after a good deal of trouble
the lion was brought to the surface of the ground and chained
and muzzled. One of the men knew the beast well and had little
trouble in walking the lion to the lake shore, where he was chained
to a tree, and left in charge of one of the party.

The circus men were vastly surprised when they learned that it was
Tommy who had captured the chimpanzee. At first they did not think
they ought to pay the lad the reward, but Shep to