in Maine, seems like; for to-morrow Thad says we
start for the railroad station at Eagle Lake, through Lake Winthrop; and
soon we'll be booming along for home."

"That sounds good to me, fellers," spoke up Bumpus. "Always did like my
home pretty well, and it never seems half so nice as when you're away,
trying to make out you're having a bunkum time sleeping on the hard
ground, with roots diggin' holes in your sides; and all sorts of
creepers crawlin' over your face. Home, sweet, sweet home for me, just
now!"

"But just remember that you owe us all a treat, Bumpus," spoke up Davy
Jones.

"Yes, we know Giraffe can make a fire that way now, because he showed us
yesterday, as easy as anything; but when I tried it, never a spark could
I get," and Step Hen looked disgusted because of his lack of knowledge.

"Huh! you needn't feel bad," declared Giraffe. "If it took _me_ all
that time to get on to the proper wrinkle, and me a regular fire fiend,
how could you have the nerve to think you could hit her up the very
first thing? But Bumpus ain't never going to question that I won that
wager, fair and square. Only because if I hadn't, we'd a gone without a
supper that night, and been near frozen in the bargain. Lots of things
hinged on that fire, I'm telling you, fellers."

"I should say they did," observed Bumpus, frankly. "Why, on'y for its
cheery twinkle them two poachers, Si and Ed, wouldn't have known we were
around; and you see how we'd have missed doin' that great stunt which
will go down in the history of the Silver Fox Patrol as one of the
shining examples----"

"Oh! let up on that stuff, Bumpus, and help me to some more stew,"
Giraffe broke in, as he passed his platter along.

"Well," remarked Allan, "we've had a pretty good time of it up here, all
told, counting the two separate trips we took. And it'll be a long time
before we beat the record for big game we've made in Maine."

But Allan did not know what was before the Silver Fox Patrol before many
moons had passed, or he would not have uttered this rash prediction.
When the summer holidays came along, they had another long journey in
prospect, provided the money was received from the bank, that had been
offered for the restoration of the securities carried off by the bold
yeggmen captured by the scouts, and as related in the preceding volume
of this series. This trip would take them many hundreds of miles from
home, into a country toward which a number of t