.

"Nope, didn't worry after you answered my shot, but I was mighty
envious of you, for I knew you had got hold of something. I didn't
believe it was a bear. Were you scared, Dick?"

"Yes, I was, a heap, but I pulled through," and Dick told his chum
of the thought that braced him up.

Ned tried to speak roughly, but his voice trembled and he looked
affectionately at his companion as he said:

"See here, Dick, boy, you can cut out all that outlaw talk. The gun
business was all bluff and you know it as well as I."

"You looked pretty white, Neddy, for a fellow who didn't think he
was taking any risk. But if you'll tell me now, honest Injun, that
you didn't think there was any danger when you faced that convict
and called him a liar, a thief and a coward, why I'll never speak of
it again. I noticed that your pet outlaw, who said the fellow was a
murderer, three deep, didn't seem to think that you had done
anything so very amusing in giving that fellow the lie and all the
rest of it."

"I see you are round-skinning your bear for mounting. I'm glad of
that. Some day I'll see it in your house and we'll be talking about
last night."

"That skin is for you. I want you to have it stuffed and put where
it can watch your alligator."

"I'm not going to take all the trophies of this trip. You can bet
your life on that."

"Don't get slangy, Neddy. You aren't used to it and it isn't
becoming. Besides, we may never get these little souvenirs out of
the wilderness."

By which remark Dick proved himself to be a prophet.

The trail of the bear had been roundabout and had brought Dick
within less than a mile of the camp. The buzzards were gathering and
Dick remained to guard the meat while he finished removing the skin
and cleaning the skull. Ned made two trips with good loads and then,
taking all they could carry, the boys returned to camp, leaving a
big feast for the bird scavengers.

CHAPTER XVI

IN THE CROCODILE COUNTRY

One evening while Dick had one of his alligator pets sitting up on
his tail, teaching him to sing, as he told his chum, Ned said:

"Crocodiles are a lot more interesting than alligators and the
Florida crocodile is nearly extinct. All that are left are in a
little strip of land near Madeira Hammock, which is only a mile or
two wide and eight or ten long. Let's go down to Madeira Hammock and
catch some to look at. We can turn them loose after we are through
with them."

"Mr. Streeter says