meant them to understand that his
declarations were subject to amendment under certain conditions.

Nick gave the pledge and stepped briskly up the road with Sam, while
Bowser frolicked in the fields and road until they were fairly in the
woods, when he frisked among the trees, sometimes starting up a squirrel
or rabbit, which had no trouble in skurrying out of his reach.

As the bear when seen by Nellie was near Shark Creek, the boys agreed to
follow the road to the bridge, descend into the bed of the stream, and
then go downward toward the pond and finally off into the woods, where
they intended to pass that day and probably the night and following day.

They had reached and passed the tree in which Nellie Ribsam took refuge
two months before, when Nick suddenly exclaimed:

"Hallo, there is some one ahead of us!"

"It's the season for game and we shall find plenty of hunters in the
wood," said Sam Harper, who, nevertheless, scanned the person with much
interest.

The fact that the boys were following precisely in his footsteps raised
the suggestion that perhaps he was engaged on the same business or
sport, as it might be termed.

Our friends hastened their pace so as to overtake him, for his company
might be desirable, or possibly it might be otherwise.

"Hallo, there!" called out Nick; "wait a minute!"

The individual thus hailed turned about, and looked back to see who it
was that called.

As he did so his face was seen, and Nick Ribsam gave utterance to an
expression of astonishment.

CHAPTER XIV.

A RECRUIT.

The stranger ahead of the two boys was Herbert Watrous, the city youth
upon whom Nick had sat down so hard three years before.

He was unusually tall when visiting the country school, and during the
intervening time he had continued to grow upward, until his height
equaled that of an ordinary man. He was scarce fourteen years old, but
he lacked very little of six feet in altitude.

He was correspondingly slim, so that he looked as if a smart blow on the
back would snap him in two. He was arrayed in a most gorgeous hunting
suit of green, with all the paraphernalia which the hunter from the city
thinks necessary when he honors the country with a tramp for game.

Herbert, beyond question, was fitted out in fine style, and there was
nothing lacking, except perhaps skill. He carried one of the finest of
breech-loading rifles, which would have been very effective in the hands
of a party