are you chuckling at, back there?"
demanded Davy Jones.

"Don't you know Bumpus enough," laughed Allan, "to guess that already he
sees the wonderful Silver Foxes discovering that lost silver mine, and
just grabbing handfuls of cash right out of it, to pay the expenses of
the next trip--where's it going to be another time, Bumpus; down to the
gulf, cruising; or along the Mexican border; for you know scouts should
never go outside the borders of their own country?"

"Well, why not?" demanded the fat boy, defiantly; "look back at the
stunts we've carried through so far, and tell me if it would be so
very strange if we just happened to drop in on this old hidden mine of
the Rockies? Luck camps on the trail of the Silver Fox Patrol every
time; and I'm ready to shake hands with anything that needs clearing
up. You just wait, and see if I'm so far off, that's all."

"And just to think of his name being John Kracker; now, what boy could
ever keep from twisting that around, and calling him a cracker-jack?"
chuckled Giraffe.

"That's a good one, all right," declared the guide, laughing heartily;
"and I'm some surprised, I am, that nobody ever thought to put that
same on the kunnel afore this. I wish you could aseen him, boys. Why,
he's as fat as--er----"

"You needn't look at me that way, Toby," burst out Bumpus, instantly,
for he was more or less touchy with respect to his size. "I'm taperin'
down right along these days. Why, I don't reckon I weigh within three
pounds as much as I did when we said good-bye to Cranford."

"And you lost all of that the time you walked and walked for days,
huntin' for your bear!" put in Davy Jones.

"Well, I got him, all right, didn't I, tell me that?" asked Bumpus,
proudly, as he patted the double-barreled ten gauge Marlin shotgun,
which he insisted on carrying across his shoulder, while most of the
others were satisfied to secure their guns to the pack saddles.

"You sure did," replied Davy, willing to give honor where honor was due.

"I was jest agoin' to say, the kunnel, he's as fat as all get-out,"
Toby went on, a twinkle in his eye telling how much he really enjoyed
these little skirmishes between some of his charges. "But all the
same, he's the most energetic critter you ever seen. And temper, say,
he's gettin' as red in the face as a turkey buzzard, struttin' around
with a chip on its wing, ready for a fight. I 'spect some day the
kunnel, he'll jest blow up, and disappear in a clo