ething
that looks yellow from here?" asked Jerry, proudly.
"Just what! The dog story was founded on solid facts, then!" exclaimed
Frank, hurrying forward, with the others at his heels.
"It was a true tale," chimed in Will, from the rear.
They found the dogs just as Jerry had left them. The big yellow brute lay
under the rotten tree, with his head mangled from the discharge of the
gun at close quarters; the dingy white one farther off, and presently
Jerry led them to where he had dispatched the others.
"And there's my package of vension, all right, hanging up yonder. I was
afraid some prowling lynx might get away with it," he remarked,
composedly; while his two admiring chums were whacking him on the back
admiringly, and insisting on proudly shaking hands with him over and
over again.
"Now, to make a clean sweep, come with me and I'll show you where I
pulled Andy out from under the fallen tree," he said.
Frank laughed and would have protested, declaring that he stood ready to
believe anything Jerry might say after this; but the other would not let
him hold back.
"I demand that you investigate. See, here's where my charge tore up the
ground when I fired through the rotten wood to scare the bear away. And
you can see the plain mark of claws on the old tree-trunk. Is it so,
fellows?" he asked.
"Without the least doubt. No Ananias here, that's sure," declared Frank.
"All right. Now walk this way only a short distance. I heard the yells,
you see, above the racket of the storm, and that told me the one who
shouted must be near by. There's the fallen tree. Think what a narrow
escape Andy had from being crushed to death."
"And it's easy to see where you dragged him out. Why, here are the prints
of his shoes in the mud as plain as type," remarked Frank.
"Where?" asked Will, showing sudden interest; and then after getting down
to look at short range he laughed, saying: "Everything is just as Jerry
says. I know it was Andy he pulled out from under this tree."
"How do you know?" demanded the party in question, curiously.
"Why, you see it was Andy Lasher who knocked Bluff off that log into the
lake. We guessed it at the time, and he afterwards said as much to Jerry
here. Well, we found his footprints, and you see one of his shoes had a
queer patch on the sole, a sort of triangle. Here it is, as big as life!"
He pointed triumphantly downward. Frank fairly shouted, and even
Jerry grinned.
"Talk about yo
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