where a pair of those big ospreys have their nest, and that ought to
make a dandy picture, with one of the parent birds feeding the
youngsters."

"I'd go a little slow about it if I were you," Frank cautioned him.
"They make their homes up in pretty tall trees, you know. And besides,
some of them are savage fighters when they think their nests are going
to be disturbed or robbed."

The others forgot about the fish-hawks after that, but not Will. When
he had anything on his mind he was very persistent. This was
particularly true of such matters as were connected with his hobby
along the line of photography.

Several days passed, and the other boys were enjoying themselves
greatly. For that matter, so was Will, though his activities ran along
a single groove. Let those who cared to fish sit out there on the lake
all they wished; or troll along, using minnows for bait, which had
been taken in a little net made of mosquito bar stuff; Will preferred
to roam the adjacent woods seeking signs of minks, raccoons, opossums
and foxes, and planning just how he would arrange his traps so that
at night time the animals would set off his flashlight, and have their
pictures taken unawares in so doing.

All the little chores had been completed around the cabin, which
looked quite like another place now. It was kept as neat as wax, for
Frank had even manufactured an odd but effective broom out of twigs,
such as he had seen used by immigrants from abroad.

Frank was contemplating the taking of a little tramp up the stream on
the following day. He had not forgotten what one of his informants had
told him concerning the hermit's place, and was more than curious to
meet Aaron Dennison.

Will had not ceased to remember his loss. He brooded over it at times,
and even broke out into occasional lamentations. His greatest fear
seemed to be that Gilbert might destroy the films in his sudden
disgust on discovering what a wretched blunder he had committed in his
haste.

Will had wandered forth after lunch on this day. From the fact that he
carried his camera along with him, the rest of the boys judged he
meant to secure some view that had appealed to him as especially fine.

It was some hours later that Frank noticed that he had not returned.
Will was a fair woodsman by now, and there did not seem to be much
chance of his allowing himself to become lost. Still Frank found
himself wondering just where the boy had gone, and why Will had no