cine with Dr. Calkins in the town of Cranford. Frequently the clever
young M.D. could not keep his appointments with his boys; at such times
he had to delegate to Thad his duties. And to tell the truth when they
learned that as the elder doctor was sick himself, their scout-master
would be unable to accompany them on this, their first real hike and
outing, none of the scouts felt very sorry.

"Pretty near time we started again for the lake, isn't it, Thad?"
demanded Step-hen, something like an hour after they had stopped to
break the march with a bite and a cool drink.

"Oh! please let me finish this little grub," called out Giraffe, who was
tremendously fond of eating; "it's a shame to waste it. You stopped me
from making a fire you know, Thad; and I fell behind the rest of you
that way."

"I never saw such a fellow, always crazy to set fire to things,"
remarked Davy Jones. "He'll burn the whole world up some day."

"I expect to set the river on fire when I get in business," grinned
Giraffe.

"Give the signal to fall in, Mr. Bugler--but I say, where _is_ Bumpus
anyway?" asked the acting scout-master, looking around.

"Oh! he went wandering away some time ago," remarked Davy. "But here's
his horn; let's see if I can blow the old thing."

He put the shining instrument to his lips, puffed out his cheeks, and
emitted a frightful groaning sound. The rest of the scouts had just
started to laugh when there came a strange, rattling noise from the
woods near by, as though a landslide might be in progress. And
accompanying the racket they heard a feeble voice that must belong to
Bumpus, though no one recognized it, calling out:

"Help! help! Oh, somebody come quick, and save me!"

With that call every member of the scout patrol leaped erect, staring at
one another in dismay.

CHAPTER II.

THE PRISONER OF THE TREE STUMP.

"Oh! perhaps a wolf has got poor Bumpus!" exclaimed Smithy, who had
never had any real experience in the woods, and was therefore a genuine
"greenhorn" scout.

"Or a bear!" suggested Step-hen.

Thad was not the one to stand and speculate, when a comrade appeared to
be in deep trouble, so he immediately cried out:

"Get your staves, and come along, everybody; no; you stay with our
knapsacks, to guard them, Bob White. This may be some trick of Brose
Griffin and his cronies to steal our stuff. This way, the rest of you,
boys!"

"Hurrah!" shouted Step-hen, showing great animation; but ca