ies
a jointed _rod_--spell it out, r-o-d. Why, I'd turn red to the roots
of my hair if ever you said 'pole' in the presence of real disciples
of Isaac Walton."

"Oh, well, 'rod,' if you prefer it that way," chuckled Will. "But no
matter what you call it, the farmer boy's pole is generally the one
that knocks the persimmons down."

"That taffy about the genuine sportsman buying his fish from the
barefooted farmer's boy is as old as the hills," retorted Bluff.
"Maybe it's been true in some cases; but I've seen the time when the
man with the fly tackle, and who knew how to use it, got all the fish,
while the barefooted boy could only look on."

"There!" exclaimed Frank with a laugh, "I knew the worm would turn
some day. Up to now there's been no champion for the man with the
fancy fly rod. It was the boy who used the humble worm who did all
the business. He'll have to take a back seat after this when our chum
Bluff is around."

No one knew whether the flashlight did its duty on that particular
night or not--that is until Will hurried out early in the morning and
brought his camera in.

He had cleverly arranged it so that when the cord was pulled that set
the cartridge off it also caused the time-exposure arrangement on the
camera to work. Thus for perhaps several seconds the delicate film was
exposed, after which the action caused it to become once more securely
hidden from the light. In this way it was not necessary for the
operator to get out to his camera before daylight came in order to
save his night's work.

All of them had slept soundly. If Frank did happen to arouse several
times during the night he saw and heard nothing to indicate that there
were any animals prowling around in the vicinity of the camp.

Will knew, however, that his trap had worked, for the bait was gone,
the cord pulled taut, and he could even detect traces of sharp claws
around the spot.

It turned out that he had managed to secure a splendid snapshot of the
big fellow boasting the striped tail; indeed, the picture was bound
to be one of the most prized in all his collection.

That day also passed with nothing unusual happening. The campers
enjoyed every hour of it, for there always appeared to be a variety of
things awaiting their attention, and all of the boys were full of
vigor.

Bluff noticed that it had gradually grown quite warm, after the
delightful cool spell following the big storm.

"And a hot wave means another rattler