heir guns and to light a lantern. Then they
boldly climbed the bank of the ravine, and poked about among the trees.

But not a trace of the intruder could be found. There were no footprints
on the few bare patches of snow.

"Are you sure you weren't mistaken?" asked Jerry.

"Not a bit of it," replied Hamp, indignantly. "I saw the face as plainly
as I see yours now."

The boys listened in silence for a moment, and then they made another
short search. In all directions were dense thickets of undergrowth.
Through this a man on snowshoes might easily have fled without leaving a
trail.

"We may as well go back," said Jerry. "We can't find the spy, whoever he
was."

For the next half-hour nothing else was talked about. Hamp was positive
that he had seen the face, and his companions believed him. All were
uneasy and scared. They knew that had the stranger been an honest man
he would have shown himself. His spying actions and hasty flight seemed
to indicate some evil design.

"We'll have to be on the watch, that's all," said Hamp. "The fellow was
probably looking for a chance to steal something."

"I don't believe he'll come back," replied Brick. "He knows by this time
that we're not to be trifled with."

About nine o'clock Jerry slipped away on the pretext of getting a drink.
He took an ax with him, but instead of pausing to chop the ice he went
on to the headland.

Here he quickly climbed a tall pine tree. From its top he could look
down the lake and over the surrounding forest. But all was dark and
silent. Nowhere was the gleam of a campfire visible.

He concluded that the strangers had pushed on into the wilderness, and
were no longer in the vicinity. With a relieved mind he descended from
the tree and started back. He was now really thirsty, so he stopped to
get a drink.

There were pretty deep shadows around him, for the timbered sides of the
ravine kept the glow of the campfire shut in from the ice. He found a
spot that had been chopped open at supper time, and was since frozen
over to the thickness of several inches. He stooped down, ax in hand.

Just as he dealt the first stroke a low, mewling cry caused him to look
up. Out on the lake, and less than twenty feet distant, crouched a long,
grayish beast. With stealthy steps it came nearer and nearer, whipping
its thin tail over the snow.

Jerry uttered one terrific screech that echoed far and wide through the
forest. He flung the ax madly toward the cre