boys, who listened with
bated breath. On their part they had little to relate. They had gone out
to the trails agreed on but could find no trace whatever of any
stranger. They had arrived only a short time before Bob had shown up.

"Ye gods, but I'm hungry," sighed Pud.

"You haven't anything on me," said Bob. "That Mr. Waterman is some
'moose.' He tears along like a steam engine and never seems to get
tired."

"I noticed that the other day," said Pud. "He had me puffing and blowing
going up that mountain and he was breathing like a sleeping child."

Just then, tang! tang! tang! tang! went the stick against the wash pan
in Jack's hands and the boys made a rush for the table. They did more
than justice to the great bill of fare prepared for them by Jack. Trout
after trout, hot from the pan, disappeared like magic, not to speak of
the hot biscuits and the apricots for dessert.

"How did you get these apricots up here?" asked Pud. "I'd think they
would be too heavy to carry."

"They would be if we brought in the canned variety," said Mr. Anderson.
"But, thank you, we have plenty of good 'aqua pura' here without
bringing in canned pears and such things."

"Well, how do you have them, then?" asked Bill.

"We bring in the dried fruit," replied Mr. Anderson. "This is very light
and easily carried. We'll have our share of fruit here this summer all
right. The only thing we won't get much of is fresh meat and that you
can't get even at Escoumains every day."

"A few partridges now and then will help along the fresh meat problem,"
said Bob.

"You bet," said Pud, licking his lips. "That partridge stew last week
was as fine as anything to be had at the Bellevue-Stratford or Kugler's
in Philadelphia."

They had had a very strenuous day and they were all ready for bed. The
morrows's expedition had livened their imaginations and they sat around
the fire chatting and talking until the moon came out over the edge of
the opposite mountain and warned them that it was time to seek their
balsam boughs.

CHAPTER VIII

THE WIRELESS IN THE WILDERNESS

The sun had hardly touched with gold the tops of the mountains before
Bob felt a light touch on his arm. He opened his eyes to see Mr.
Waterman with his hands to his lips in token of silence. He arose
quietly and with a surge of pride and joy in his heart, for he felt that
he was to be permitted to go on the expedition in search of the thief.

"Bring along your sleepi