m the land.

"There it comes!" breathed Lub, who was holding his breath, and
consequently getting, frightfully red in the face.

They could see the raised prow of what looked to be a genuine birch bark
canoe poke in sight. In these modern days when even the Indians up in
Maine manufacture up-to-date canvas canoes by the thousand, it is a rare
event to run across one made of birch bark. The trees that are large
enough for the purpose have about all been destroyed, so the Indians
claim, which accounts for the revolution in canoes.

Further and further moved the boat. Now half of its length was seen,
then two-thirds, and finally the stern had passed the end of the point.
The three watchers could now see that it was being softly driven by a
paddler who sat in the stern, and wielded a single blade.

All of them stared, and Lub, strange to say was the first to find
utterance so as to voice his surprise.

"Why, Phil, Ethan, don't you see who it is?" he ejaculated; "who but our
chum, X-Ray Tyson, sitting there as big as life, and heading straight
toward us! Where under the sun d'ye reckon he found that canoe; and
whose can it be?"

CHAPTER VIII

THE MOUNTAIN BOYS IN CAMP

"Whoopee! Hello, X-Ray, where'd you pick it up?"

When Ethan called this out the paddler waved at them, and laughed.

"Wait till I push her nose up on that fine sandy beach, and I'll tell
you all about it, boys," he answered.

Two minutes later and the prow of the birch bark canoe glided softly up
on the shore. Laying his paddle down in the boat X-Ray proceeded to pass
along toward the bow, so that he could step out without getting his feet
wet. Meanwhile Lub was looking the canoe over, noting that it seemed to
be in very good condition, and not at all weather worn, as though it had
been lying in the bushes for several winters and summers.

"I ran across her," the finder started in to explain, "while I was
pushing along through the scrub, meaning to get to a certain point. I'd
picked up some hoppers and crickets, and wanted to give the trout a try,
to see if they were hungry. Whoever owned the boat had hid her away; and
not so long ago, either, for there was a wet streak on her keel that no
rain had made. She was lying bottom-up, of course."

"Have you been fishing in the canoe all this time?" asked Phil, sniffing
the air, and then stepping forward to look for himself; upon which X-Ray
bent over and lifted out a string of a dozen pretty