find it, in order to give it back, he learned that it was
missing, and Bluff had to go without his gun until the hunt was nearly
over, when it was discovered in the woods, where the thief had dropped
it.

Frank wondered if Jerry was concerned in the mysterious vanishing of the
wonderful hunting-knife. He had laughed at its tremendous proportions
and ornate handle. Still, it did not seem reasonable to believe that
Jerry would be guilty of a second trick along those same lines.

"I was trying to remember. You know we were showing our things to the
girls?"

"Yes, I believe we were," smiled Frank; for he could still see Bluff
flourishing his precious knife, sheath and all, for the entertainment of
Nellie.

"Well, I can't remember for the life of me seeing it again after that.
You know we packed in a big hurry in the morning. I may have laid it
aside, intending that it would go in on top, and then overlooked it.
Such a fool play, too, when that was the prize of the whole collection!"
groaned Bluff.

"And you've looked over the whole outfit here, have you?" Frank
continued, surveying the piled-up mess of stuff.

"Yes; three separate times. Oh, there's no getting around it, I've made
a goose of myself, and you know how I wanted to use that trusty blade
so much. Of course, I won't think of moping in my tent. I'll borrow a
knife, and perhaps it will do me good service; but nothing can ever take
the place of that beautiful piece of steel."

"Well, let's get these things in something like order before the boys
come in. Sort out what belongs to you, and chuck the balance of your
extra clothes in your own bag, for I see that you've had most of them
out"

"Yes. I even wondered if I could have stuck that knife in among my other
shirts and underclothes, but it isn't there. I'll have to stand it, but
you fellows will never know what a loss this is to me. Coming all this
distance, too, just to get a chance to use it on an elk, or something
worth while."

Frank thought that if Bluff had his way his mates would at least never
have a chance to forget about his great loss, for he was apt to remind
them of it every little while.

Will now came bustling in, anxious to ascertain if his little developing
outfit came through safely, together with his packages of hypo and other
necessities.

It was decided to put in that day around the ranch seeing how Mr. Mabie
ran his business. Then on the following morning a party of them
inten