the brushwood
and over the rocks close to the spot where they had last seen the
gleaming eyes. As they went on Jack imagined once or twice he saw
something moving through the snow, but of this he was not certain.

"Here is where we hit it, whatever it was," declared Spouter, when they
reached the point directly behind the spring. "See how the snow is dug
up?"

"Yes, and here are some drops of blood," said Jack, as he turned the
flashlight on the snow. "But whatever it was, it got away," he added
disappointedly.

"What have you got?" sang out Gif, for he and the others had come up on
the opposite side of the spring.

"We haven't got anything," answered Spouter dolefully. "We hit
something, but it got away from us."

"It wasn't a moose, was it?" queried Randy with great interest.

"No, I think it was a three-horned elephant," replied Jack, who was not
then in the best of humor. He hated to have the first thing he shot at
get away from him.

"Well, this seems to be the end of this road," remarked Gif, looking
around.

"Yes, it only led down to this frozen-up spring," answered Spouter.

"I move we go on," said Fred. "I'm cold, and I'm sleepy too."

"I think we're all that way," answered Gif. "Come on, you fellows. No
use of remaining around here. If that animal got away it probably moved
off quite a distance."

"That would depend on how badly it was wounded," answered Jack. "Just
wait a minute, and I'll see if I can't find its trail."

Aided by the flashlight, he looked around carefully, and presently made
out some tracks in the snow leading in the direction of a nearby
thicket. He moved to this, coming presently to several low-hanging
trees.

"See anything?" questioned Fred impatiently.

"Not yet. But the trail is here as plain as can be."

"Maybe those are only rabbit tracks," remarked Randy.

"Or tracks of the animals that came down to the spring for a drink," put
in Gif.

Jack did not answer. He was flashing the light around carefully,
inspecting all the trees and bushes in that vicinity. Suddenly the light
was flashed upward, and as the rays ran along one of the branches of the
tree directly in front of the youth there came a sudden snarl of rage
and protest.

"It's a wildcat!" ejaculated Spouter, whose eyes had also been following
the rays of light. "A wildcat!"

"Yes, and it's the animal we wounded," answered Jack. "See how it is
holding up one of its front paws."

"Be careful!" sang out G