n't grumble."

"Grumble?" shouted Shep. "Why, I feel like singing." And he broke
into a merry whistle.

They took the deer down to the lake in three trips. It made them
pant to climb over some of the rocks, and when the job was done
they were all out of breath.

"Have you fellows noticed how the wind is rising?" remarked Giant, as
he paused to wipe the perspiration from his forehead.

"Yes," answered Shep. "We are surely fixing for a storm."

"By the way, Shep," came from Snap, "don't you wish you had shot
a turkey instead of the deer?"

"Don't say turkeys," replied the doctor's son, reproachfully. They
had brought the deer close to the spot where the rowboat had been
tied up, and now Whopper went to get the craft. Soon he returned in
anxiety.

"Didn't we tie up here?" he questioned.

"Certainly," answered Giant.

"The boat is gone."

"Gone!" came from all of the others.

"Yes."

A rush was made for the lake front, and they gazed in blank amazement
at the spot where the craft had been left.

"We haven't made any mistake, have we?" asked Snap, slowly.

"No; this is the very spot," said Whopper. "I know it by that tree
yonder."

"Whopper is right," put in Giant.

"Then one of two things has happened. Either the boat drifted
away-----"

"It couldn't drift away---it was too well tied."

"Then somebody took it."

"Perhaps the fellow who visited our camp!" cried Whopper.

There was a moment of awkward silence. Each youth was wondering
what was best to do next.

"Hi, you fellows!" came from nearby. "Stop!"

They turned, to find themselves confronted by Dick Bush, the dude,
and another of the rival campers, named Carl Dudder.

"What do you want?" asked Snap, shortly.

"You've been over to our camp, haven't you?" blustered Dick Bush.

"What makes you think that?" asked Whopper.

"Because you turned everything upside down and ran off with some
of our things."

"We haven't been near your camp," put in Giant. "We have been out
after these," and he pointed to the game.

When the dudish youths saw the deer they were astonished.

"Did you kill all those?" cried Carl Dudder.

"We did."

"To-day?"

"Yes."

"Then you weren't near our camp?" questioned Dick Bush, uneasily.

"We haven't been within a mile of your camp," answered Snap. "We
left our boat here this morning and went directly into the mountains.
We just got back---to find our boat gone."

"Well, I'll be blessed!" gasp