show for it a long while."

"And listen to that splash, boys!" exclaimed Step-hen.

"Just as like as not another of the lot slipped and fell into the lake;"
spoke up Giraffe, "there he goes splashing like fun, and how he does
holler in the bargain!"

"Hark! what is he shouting?" asked Allan.

"Why, he's calling for help, because he thinks the old bear will get him
now, sure. I c'n see him near the shore there, kicking up the water like
an old stern-wheel steamboat. Say, ain't he the worst scared fellow you
ever saw?"

"Don't forget there were a bunch about as bad off as that, a while
back," declared Thad; "but he seems to be calling for some one to come
back and help him."

"I got it then, and it was Brose!" exclaimed Bob White, who had very
acute hearing.

"That explains it all," declared Thad. "Now we know who we have to thank
for making all this racket. Brose Griffin and his two shadows, Hop, and
Eli Bangs were going to pay us a nice little surprise party visit.
Perhaps when we woke up in the morning we'd have found all sorts of
things gone, and have to hike back to town to-morrow. But they didn't
know we had a bear in camp, did they, fellows?"

"Oh! my, and if they didn't stumble right on the beast!" exclaimed
Bumpus, who, not wanting to be left by himself in the tent, had crawled
out, after taking a cautious look first. "What a rich joke on Brose and
his crowd. I can just see 'em scooting for home for all they're worth.
Never catch any of that bunch around our camp again on this trip, that's
sure, boys."

"I hope," Thad went on to say as he stood listening; "the fellow in the
lake don't go under; it must be Hop; because you know he does limp some,
from that broken leg he got last winter."

"Oh! he got out all right," observed Allan.

"Sure thing," added Giraffe; "because I saw him climb up the bank; and
there, if you listen, you can hear the silly right now, going whimpering
along. Say, what a time we are having, eh, fellows?"

"Who'd ever think so much could be crowded inside a few hours?" declared
Smithy; who felt that he would have good reason to look back on this
remarkable experience as the crowning feature of his whole life, because
he had certainly lived more in the last four hours than all the balance
of his years thrown together.

"And boys, don't forget we owe a lot to our guest--what was that you
called him, Smithy--Bumpus?" Thad continued.

"Oh! let's change it to just plain Smith," su