t I should have done had
you not happened along."

"We started to look for you and got lost," answered Whopper, and
then told the story.

Shep was so weak he could scarcely use his feet and they had to
help him to get to the ground. He told of his night of horror
and of the experience with the wildcat. He was exceedingly thankful
that they had shot the animal.

"We may as well take our time getting back to camp," said Snap. "I
shan't feel like doing anything else to-day."

"I am going to do nothing but rest," answered Shep.

Arriving at the camp they were thankful to find everything just
as they had left it. A fire was started up and preparations made
for a substantial meal. Then all took a good wash and ate their
fill, after which they declared they felt much better.

"I have learned one lesson," said Shep. "I am going to give hollow
trees a wide berth after this."

"And when I go out after deer I am going to make sure of where I am
traveling," said Whopper. "Don't catch me getting lost fifteen miles
from nowhere again!"

The wildcat had been brought along, and during the afternoon Snap
skinned the carcass and hung the pelt up to cure. The carcass
was thrown away, as they did not know what else to do with it.

After that several days passed quietly and then came another rain
lasting the best part of a night. To their satisfaction the new
cabin did not leak at all, everything remaining as dry inside as
before the downpour.

"Now we have a cabin worth having," was Snap's comment. "I hope
that rain just leaked in all over Mr. Andrew Felps and his crowd."

"Oh, don't mention him!" cried Shep. "I hate to even hear the name!"

After the rain it was considerably colder and they were not slow
in putting on some of the heavier underwear they had brought along.
By the suggestion of Snap they also spent one whole day in cutting
firewood and piling it up beside the cabin door.

"There is no telling what we may strike soon," said Snap. "If a
heavy fall of snow should arrive it wouldn't be very nice to be
caught without a good supply of wood."

"Oh, we could go out in the snow and cut some," said Giant.

"Not if it was real deep," put in Whopper. "I'd rather have the
wood on hand, as Snap says."

The boys had not forgotten about the deer they had seen, and one
somewhat cloudy morning they started across the lake in the rowboat,
taking their guns and some provisions along. They headed directly
for