y and won't be
back until noon or to-night."

"Evidently those chaps are very secretive," said Gif. "I agree with Jack
that the whole thing looks mighty suspicious."

"Do you intend to wait around here until those Germans come back?" asked
Fred a bit impatiently.

"Why not go out on a hunt and come back later?" suggested Randy.

"That's the talk!" broke in Andy. "I'm getting tired of hanging around
here doing nothing." To him it had been a long wait while the others had
gone to the house.

"I suppose we might as well go on a hunt," announced Gif. "Anyway, I'm
willing to do whatever the others say."

So it was decided that they should go off on a hunt, to return to the
house either later that day or else on the day following. This suited
Jed Wallop, for the old hunter did not feel in the humor for
investigating the old mansion or the Germans staying there.

"Come on, come on," said he, "and maybe we'll git a chance at a fox or
two."

"Now you're saying something!" cried Fred.

Leaving the old Parkingham house and outbuildings behind, they struck
off through the woods, crossed the mountain road and a small frozen-up
watercourse, and then mounted one of the hills lying to the northwest of
Cedar Lodge. Here they found traveling rather difficult, and more than
once the old hunter said he wished they were on snowshoes.

"Purty hard to use 'em at first," said he. "But after a while travelin'
that way gits to be as easy as the reg'lar way."

"Oh, we know something about snowshoes," said Jack. "But we didn't think
we'd need any on this trip."

They tramped around for the rest of the forenoon, managing to stir up
several rabbits, and also a partridge, which Fred was fortunate enough
to bring down. Then they built a small campfire and made themselves a
pot of hot chocolate and had this with the lunch they had brought along.

The middle of the afternoon found them in the location Jed Wallop had
had in mind when speaking of foxes. The old hunter told all of them to
be on the alert.

"You know Mr. Fox ain't goin' to stand still to be shot at," said he
quizzically. "As soon as he spots you he'll be off quicker than greased
lightning."

They advanced with caution, and had hardly proceeded a hundred yards
when Jed Wallop suddenly put up his hand for silence. They were coming
to a series of rocks, and beyond this was a small clearing, backed up by
brushwood still thickly covered with snow. They looked over toward this