the other.

Silently the four boy hunters raised their firearms. Shep looked
at them and then along the barrel of his piece.

"Fire!" said he, and one shot rang out after another quickly. There
was a mad whirring and fluttering from the ruffed grouse. Two
dropped like lead, while two others flew around in a circle, badly
wounded. Then the boys discharged their guns again, and wounded
two more birds. As the game came down they rushed in and wrung
the necks of those not already dead.

"Six, all told," said Giant proudly. "That's one and a half apiece."

"Not so bad," answered Snap.

"It's dandy!" shouted Whopper, throwing up his cap in his delight.
"Now we can have roast partridge for dinner, and supper, too, if
we want to."

"Right you are," came from Shep. "I believe we all made a hit,"
he added.

"A hit?" repeated Whopper. "We all made home runs!" And at this
reference to baseball all of the boys laughed.

Taking the game to the rowboat, they resumed their journey, and by
noon reached the watercourse connecting the two lakes. Here they
stopped at a spot well known to them and built a camp fire, and
here they roasted all of the game, fearing it might not keep in
such hot weather.

"I'm going to try baking 'em in mud," said Giant, who had learned
the trick from Jed Sanborn. Leaving the feathers on the grouse the
lad plastered each bird thickly with some clayey mud, and then
placed them in the fire to roast, or bake, as he called it. He
watched them with care and tried one frequently to see if it was done.

"Now I guess this will do," he said at last, and cracked the baked
mud from the grouse. With the mud came the feathers of the bird,
leaving the meat clean. The grouse was tender and juicy and done
to a turn.

"Giant, you'll have to get a job as a chef in a big hotel," said
the doctor's son, smacking his lips over the feast. "This game
certainly couldn't be, better."

"Why not leave some of the partridge right in the baked mud?"
suggested Snap. "It ought to keep well that way."

"We can try it," said Whopper.

The collie was given his share of the dinner and appeared to enjoy
it as much as the boys. He acted as if he felt perfectly at home
with the young hunters, and made no offer to leave them.

"If he wasn't such a fine dog I'd put him down as an outcast," said
Shep. "But nobody would abandon such a fine animal---he's worth
too much money."

Once again the boy hunters proceede