en to another body of water called Firefly Lake,
and had plenty of fun and not a few adventures. During their outing
they had considerable trouble with a dudish sport---from town named
Hamilton Spink, and his cronies, and were in great peril from a
disastrous forest fire.

When school opened the young hunters returned to their studies, but
with the approach of the winter holidays their thoughts turned again
to the woods and water, and once more they sallied forth, as related
in full in "_Guns and Snowshoes_." They found game in plenty, and
also ran the perils of a great blizzard, and got lost in the snow.

"Shall we go out again?" was the question asked when the next summer
vacation was at hand, and all answered in the affirmative. This time,
as related in the volume called "_Young Hunters of the Lake_," they
ventured considerably farther from home---to the shore of a lake
said to be visited by a much-dreaded ghost. There they again went
hunting and fishing to their hearts' content, and once more had
trouble with Ham Spink and his cronies. They saw the "ghost," and
were at first badly scared, but in the end solved the awful mystery
by proving that the "ghost" was nothing but a man---a relative of
Giant, who had lost his mind and disappeared some time before. The
man was restored to reason, and through his testimony Giant's mother
obtained some money which had been tied up in the courts.

The finding of the man had brought the boy hunters back to Fairview
before their summer vacation was half finished. What to do next was
the question.

"We ought to go somewhere---staying at home is dead slow," was the
way one of the lads expressed himself; but for a week or more nothing
was done.

Whistling gaily to himself, Shep Reed hurried down to the lake front.
As he came out on one of the docks he caught sight of Snap, surrounded
by half a dozen other lads, all carrying various bundles, and all
equipped with guns and fishing-rods.

"Ham Spink and his cronies," murmured the doctor's son to himself.
"Wonder where they are bound?"

"Oh, we are going to have the outing of our lives this trip," Ham
Spink was declaring in his usual lordly fashion. "It's going to be
the finest outing ever started from this town."

"Where are you going?" asked Snap curiously.

"Do you suppose we are going to tell you?" demanded another boy, a
lad named Carl Dudder. "Not much! We don't want you to come sneaking
after us, to shoot the g