mountain top to the eastward, heralding another day.

With the coming of sunlight the boys were inclined to treat the
coming of the ghost as a joke. They could not explain the ghostly
voice, however, although Snap said he imagined the man playing
ghost might be a ventriloquist.

"Some of those ventriloquists are very clever," he asserted, "and
they can throw their voices almost anywhere."

The sun soon dried the grass and bushes, and after eating what was
left of the quail, and the lunch brought from the camp, the young
hunters struck off in the direction whence the bear they had shot
had disappeared. They traveled with extreme care, for none of
them wished to risk a tumble down the mountainside.

"Look! look!" yelled Snap, presently, and pointed some distance
ahead.

"Wolves, and they are at some game," returned Whopper. "I do
believe it is our bear!

"That's just what it is," put in Giant. "What gall! Let us open
fire on 'em!"

The wolves were at least a dozen in number, all big and powerful
fellows. They had just come on the bear, that was dead, and were
quarreling among themselves over the carcass.

With great care the four boy hunters took, aim at the wolves, and
at a command from Snap, let drive. As the reports died away two
of the beasts were seen to be dead and two others were wounded.
The other wolves turned and retreated a few paces, then paused
and glared at those who had molested them.

"They are coming for us!" shouted Whopper, and the statement proved
true. With wild yelps and snarls the wolves leaped forward.

It was a moment of great peril and the young hunters fully realized
their critical condition.

"Shoot and jump for the nearest trees!" yelled Snap, and then let
drive again. The others discharged the remaining loads in their
shotguns, and three more of the wolves were hit, and one killed.
Then one after another the young hunters scrambled up into the
nearest trees.

The boys thought they would have a hard fight with the remaining
wolves, but evidently the pack had had enough of the encounter,
for those that were wounded limped off growling savagely and the
others followed, leaving the dead where they had fallen.

"We came up in the nick of time," said Snap, as he reloaded and
leaped to the ground, followed by his chums. "A few minutes later
and those beasts would have torn this bear limb from limb. I
suppose they thought they were going to have the feast of their
live