final kick, and then become still and
silent.

Kiddie went nearer to the animal, seized its long tail in both hands
and hauled it bodily away from under the tree.

"We'll leave him there till daylight," he decided, "an' then have a
proper look at him. Meanwhile, let's quit and finish our sleep."

Daylight revealed the puma as an uncommonly fine animal, in good
condition. Kiddie preserved the pelt, with the head and feet. He also
took the dimensions of the carcass at various parts to help him in
modelling the body for mounting.

"I've got a pair of glass eyes that'll just suit," he told Rube.
"They're some light in colour, but I guess we c'n darken 'em before we
fix 'em in."

On that same day they moved the camp to a different part of the forest,
but still on the shores of the lake, and they remained there for a
week, trapping, shooting, fishing, and exercising their woodcraft.
Then, at Rube's suggestion, they landed on a small island thickly
overgrown with pine trees. Here, however, there were very few animals
to trap, and small opportunity for scouting, although Rube did not for
that reason cease to take advantage of Kiddie's wider knowledge and
skill.

They were out in the canoe fishing one afternoon. Kiddie remarked upon
the extreme clearness of the water, and told Rube to lean over and look
down into it.

"You c'n see the bottom of the lake fathoms an' fathoms beneath us," he
said.

"Yes," agreed Rube, peering down into the transparent depths. He
raised his head and added: "You was sayin' th' other day, Kiddie, that
no white man, an' p'r'aps no red man either, had ever lived in these
parts in ancient times."

"I said--or meant to say--that there was no visible trace of early
native inhabitants or white settlers," Kiddie corrected.

"Well, that's good enough," resumed Rube. "I guess I've got you,
anyway. Look deep down thar, an' you'll see the trunk of a tree. It
ain't got 'ny branches on it. I b'lieve I c'n even make out the cuts
of an axe on the end of it. How'd it come there if it wasn't hewn down
by men as used edged tools?"

Kiddie was not in the least nonplussed.

"How'd it come t' be lyin' at the bottom of the lake, anyway?" he
questioned.

"Dunno," Rube answered, very much puzzled. "You mean, why ain't it
afloat? Guess it's too heavy; though I can't tell just why. All wood
floats, don't it?"

"Most wood does--all that grows about here," Kiddie affirmed. "Why, do
you suppos