from practicing with his new gun,
which seemed like a toy in the hands of a child.

"I'm sure you could not have held the butt close against your shoulder
when you fired," Thad ventured, as his opinion.

"That's just what," admitted the other, with a sigh. "Know better next
time, though, Thad; and thank you for making it feel easier. But I wish
I'd got that bear. How fine it would be to eat steak from a big bear I'd
killed with the first shot from my new gun."

"Make that plural, Bumpus, for you fired _both_ barrels, remember,"
laughed Thad.

They were soon on the move again, and pushing steadily up against the
current of the Little Machias. An hour or two passed. The air was not
nipping cold at this time of the day; but as the season was now
considerably advanced they expected to meet with considerable frost, and
even some ice, before coming back once more to the home town.

Lest the reader who has not made the acquaintance of the Boy Scouts in
the previous volume, should think it strange that these six lads were
able to be away from their school duties for such a length of time at
this season of the year, it may be best to enter a little explanation
right here.

An unfortunate epidemic of contagious sickness had broken out in
Cranford, and as a number of the scholars of the school were affected,
the trustees had reluctantly decided that the session between early Fall
and New Years must be abandoned. If all were well at the later date,
after the usual holidays, school would be resumed. But the health of the
community demanded that the boys and girls be separated for the time
being.

Just then Thad's guardian, a genial old man who was known far and wide
as "Daddy," Brewster, found that he had urgent need of communicating
with a gentleman by the name of Carson, who had recently gone up into
Maine on his annual moose hunt in the big game country. As he might not
come out before January, and the necessity of giving him certain
documents was great, Thad had been asked to make the trip.

They had long been counting on a chance to visit the home country of
their Maine fellow scout, Allan Hollister; and most of the scouts
eagerly seized on this opportunity to carry out the project, though two
of the patrol were unable to be along.

And so they were now in a condition to thoroughly enjoy the outing,
since Thad had carried out his mission, and given the papers into the
keeping of Mr. Carson; receiving a message in re