."

"Well, that fits the rascal who is wanted, pretty closely."

"It's queer that he'd come to a place like this," was Whopper's
comment.

"Maybe he thinks it is best to keep in hiding, at least for the
present."

"But why doesn't he go elsewhere?"

"He may be afraid to show himself in town, or at a railroad station."

The matter was talked over for an hour, and then it was decided to
visit the old cottage as early as possible on the following morning.

"And let us take our guns," declared Snap. "And we'll take a rope,
too---in case we have to tie him up."

The boys could scarcely sleep that night, so excited were they over
the prospect ahead. All of them were up at dawn and procured
breakfast as quickly as they could. Then the game-bags were filled
with provisions, the guns were overhauled, and Snap got the rope he
had mentioned.

"Now I guess we are ready," said Shep.

"Wait till I kick out the fire," said Whopper. "Don't want the
place to burn up while we are away."

The fire extinguished, they set off on their journey and were soon
a goodly distance from the lake. The snow had disappeared and the
day promised to be an unusually warm one. They did not look for
any game, and when a rabbit crossed their path nobody shot at it.

"We are after other game to-day," observed Snap, grimly.

"If only we have the same success as we had when we caught that
nigger," came from Whopper. "That was dead easy."

"I don't think we'll catch him asleep," said Shep. "He is a wide-awake
fellow, if nothing else."

On and on they went, covering several miles. They passed the trees
that were loaded with nuts, but did not stop, and soon came in sight
of the clearing.

"Now go slow," cautioned Snap. "If he sees us from a distance he
may take it into his head to run away."

"Maybe one or two of us had better go forward and investigate,"
suggested Giant.

This was thought a good plan, and Snap and Shep went forward, slowly
and cautiously, until they gained the very edge of the clearing.

"I see smoke coming out of the chimney," said Snap. "That would
seem to show he is still there."

The door to the old cottage was tightly closed, and growing bolder,
the two young hunters walked to it and knocked loudly.

"See that he doesn't slip out the other way," whispered Snap to
his chum, and Shep at once ran around to the other side of the
building.

As there was no answer to the summons, Snap knocked on the door