"Yes, after a little trouble. The pawnbroker was awfully mad. He
wants to send the colored fellow to jail, too."

Snap and Whopper were glad to learn that the outfit had been recovered
and they had Jed Sanborn look at the guns to make certain that all
were fit to use.

"Didn't hurt 'em a mite," said the old hunter. "But they couldn't
have stayed in the water much longer."

"It was lucky the boat went over where the water was shallow," said
Giant. "Had the water been deep perhaps we shouldn't have gotten
back a thing."

After the old hunter had departed with the deer, the boys set to work
in earnest to fix up their camp once more. Some of the things had
been spoiled by the heavy storm, but Ham Spink had "made good,"
as Snap said, so nothing was really lost, so far as the young
hunters were concerned.

After several days of rest the boys felt once more in proper trim
for sport, and went out after a bunch of rabbits and squirrels.
They were fairly lucky, and three o'clock of the afternoon found
them on the return to the camp.

"Let us look for some nuts," suggested Whopper.

The others were willing, and made their way to a group of trees
growing some distance up the lake shore. Nuts were to be had in
plenty, and soon they had their pockets and the corners of their
game-bags well filled.

"I see another tree with some extra large nuts!" cried Shep.
"Come on!"

He led the way to the tree in question, which grew on a bit of
land projecting far out into the lake. They soon had some of
the big nuts and were about to return whence they had come, when
Snap uttered a cry:

"A snake!"

"Where?" came from the others.

"There---under the tree roots."

Snap was right; a big snake was close at hand, under some tree
roots over which they had just stepped.

"I don't want anything to do with a snake," gasped Giant. "Let
us get out of here!"

Then all of the young hunters gazed at each other in dismay. The
snake was directly in their path to the shore proper.

It was a water reptile and all of five or six feet long. As they
approached, it raised its head and gave a curious hissing sound.

All of the boys crowded back. Only Whopper had his gun, the other
weapons having been left at the foot of the other nut trees. The
snake certainly looked ugly. Evidently it did not like having its
domain invaded.

"I'll give it a shot!" cried Whopper, and raised the shotgun carefully.
But just as he was on the p