d, and it was poor policy to
frighten away the quarry they had come so far to secure.

Step Hen forgot all his weariness as he found himself being shaken by
the hand again and again, while he and Thad told the tale of their day's
outing. It was nice to play the hero part once in a while, and more than
ever did Step Hen feel that life had become more worth living than ever,
since he joined the Cranford troop of Boy Scouts. But for that he would
never have discovered what splendid things there were to be met with in
the great forests; and the spirit of the hunter and the fisherman, which
had lain dormant in his nature, might never have been awakened.

And while the hour was rather late, all of the boys insisted on tasting
a small piece of the deer meat brought in by the two successful Nimrods.

CHAPTER XV.

THE FOX FARMER.

"Say, this is the greatest venison I ever tasted!" declared Bumpus,
after he had disposed of his share, and sighed to think that the rules
of the game debarred him from having a second piece; because they had
had a bumper supper only a few hours before.

"Just dandy!" added Giraffe, who was in the same class as his fat
campmate, and would have been only too glad for an invitation to "cut,
and come again."

"Oh!" exclaimed Step Hen, suddenly, "I reckon we've got to congratulate
you, Giraffe."

"Me? Er, what d'ye mean, Step Hen?" replied the tall scout, at the same
time beginning to look a trifle confused.

"Why, you know you told us we'd be _surprised_ when we got back,"
the other went on to say, a little maliciously; "and I reckon you've
gone and done it at last; and now you're ready to show us just how easy
it works."

Bumpus could not refrain for the life of him from giving a sarcastic
chuckle, which of course added to the evident embarrassment of Giraffe;
who, however assumed a serious air upon making his reply.

"Well,--er--not exactly, Step Hen. I've got her figgered out all right,
in my mind, so that in the morning I c'n go ahead, and work out the
details. I calculate a short half hour ought to see me wind up in just a
blaze of glory. But just yet it's a toss-up who the ice-cream's going to
be on, Bumpus or me."

"Oh! I ain't worrying even a little mite," asserted the confident
Bumpus.

"Well, you wait and see!" declared Giraffe, defiantly. "You don't all
know what I've got up my sleeve. The feller that laughs last laughs
loudest, they say. And I give you all fair warning