d
over her head, and when at last she saw a black object moving
about among the trees at some distance beyond the rock-pile, it
is not surprising that she immediately gave the pewit call, loud
and clear.

The boys heard it and instantly vanished behind some bushes. The
dark object moving among the trees seemed to hear it too and,
springing forward, came bounding toward the rocks, barking as it
came. Jean was not much less anxious when she knew for certain
that it was a dog, for a watch dog in that lonely place might be
quite as dangerous as a wolf. Moreover, she soon saw, a little
distance behind the dog, a man with a gun on his shoulder. She
saw the dog reach the camp and go sniffing about on the rocks,
and her heart almost stood still as it gave a deep howl and
started away as if it scented game.

"He's on the trail of Alan and Jock," thought Jean, wringing her
hands. "Oh, what shall I do? The man will surely follow, for
he'll think the dog is after game." She sprang to her feet and
ran back to Sandy.

"Come quick," she said in a low voice. "The dog smells them; we
must get into the boat and have it ready for the boys to jump
into. There is not a moment to lose." She sped past him as she
spoke, and Sandy came galloping after.

Alan and Jock, who had seen and heard all that Jean had, were now
tearing at top speed through the woods and knew from answering
whistles that Jean and Sandy were on the way to the boat.

The man had by this time reached the camp and was staring at the
blue chalk-marks on the rock, as if unable to believe his own
eyes. He did not stop there long. He saw at once that an enemy
had found his hiding-place, and that the dog was on his trail.
Leaping down the rocks, he started across the clearing on a run
toward the lake, his gun in his hand. Jock and Alan realized that
they could hardly reach the landing-place before the dog did, so
they changed their course and veered a little to the north,
thinking that in this way they stood more chance of concealment
and that they could signal the boat and get aboard in a less
conspicuous place.

By this dodge the dog lost the scent of the boys and, nosing the
ground, found the trail of Sandy and Jean. Baying frightfully he
came bounding through the underbrush and arrived at the landing
just in time to see Sandy push the boat from the shore with Jean
in the bow. Furious at being cheated of his prey, the dog ran
back and forth on the shore, making mad l