.

It took the young hunters some time to recover from the excitement
of the occurrence. The attack of the foxes had come so quickly that
it had startled them greatly.

"This ought to be a warning to us---this and that fight with the
wildcats," said Snap. "We ought to be on our guard every minute.
We've been lucky so far---maybe some other time we'll not do so well."

"Don't borrow trouble, Snap," answered the doctor's son. "Yet
I agree with you, we must be more careful in the future. Is your
camera all right?"

"I think so."

"Then let us take pictures of ourselves with the dead foxes," went
on Shep, and this was done, and later the photographs turned out
very well.

Having finished with the picture-taking, the boys threw off their
clothing and went for a swim in the clear, cool waters of Firefly
Lake.

"Say, this is fine!" cried Snap enthusiastically as he splashed
the water around. "Makes a fellow feel a year younger, after such
a hot tramp as we have had!"

"That's what!" answered the doctor's son. "Look at this!" he added
as he made a long dive from a rock beside which he knew the water
to be deep.

They dove and swam and splashed around to their hearts' content for
a good quarter of an hour, and even had a little race to a snag
sticking up from the bottom fifty yards from the rocks. Then Shep
said they had better dress and proceed on their way.

They ran out of the lake, shook themselves, and made for the spot
whe`e they had left their clothing behind some bushes. Each stared
in amazement. The clothing had been left in three heaps; now the
garments were strewn around in helter-skelter fashion.

"Somebody has been here!" cried Snap. "Is anything gone?" demanded
Giant. At this all took a hasty inventory of their possessions.

"My shirt is missing!" came from the doctor's son.

"One of my socks is gone," added Giant.

"My belt is gone," came from Snap, "and so is my camera."

"And my gun!" added Shep, looking around to where the weapons had
rested against a tree.

"Boys, we have been robbed!"

"What enemy has done this?"

"Can this be the work of the Spink crowd?"

For a minute the talk was lively, and then the boys calmed down a
little. Even in their excitement they were glad that nothing more
had been taken.

"I don't think the Spink crowd did this," said Snap. "Ham Spink
wouldn't stop short of taking everything."

"Exactly my idea of it," answered Giant.

"Whoever it wa