log in plain view, and sat up on
his haunches as if to curiously observe these approaching human beings
who intended to invade his haunts.

"What's that bird out yonder on the water?" asked Smithy, just then
pointing beyond a spur of the island.

"That's a loon," remarked Thad. "Allan heard him drop in here last
night; and both of us happened to be awake when he gave one of his
cries. You'll be apt to hear him some time or other; and if you think
it's a crazy man laughing, why just remember they named that bird
rightly when they called him a loon."

"I don't see anything moving on shore; anyhow there's no man in sight,"
Davy remarked a minute later, as they drew in still closer.

"Oh! I didn't expect to see a crowd waiting to receive us," laughed
Thad. "We may have all our trouble for our pains; but I just couldn't
rest till I got one more squint at that imprint of a shoe on the
island."

"Oh! yes, I remember that Bob White was telling me about you being taken
up with that track," Davy went on; "but he didn't say just why. Perhaps
you'll show me, now that I'm along on the trip?"

"Sure I will; and tell you a few things I got from him," the
scout-master went on to say, as they pushed in toward the little beach
where the landing had been made on the first occasion of their visiting
the lake island.

"Bob must have been through some stuff in his old home," remarked Davy,
enviously; "from the few little things he's said. Things _happen_ there
in the Blue Ridge mountains, down in the Old Tar Heel state. Up here
it's as dead as a door nail; nothin' goin' on atall to make a feller
keep awake. Don't I just hope you get that deal through, Thad, and take
the whole patrol along, to pay a visit to Bob's home country. I just
know we'd have a scrumptuous time of it. Imagine me up in the real
mountains, when I've never even seen a hill bigger than Scrub-oak
mountain, which I could nearly throw a stone over!"

Then the prow of the canoe ran aground in a few inches of water. Thad
sprang ashore, and holding the painter, drew the boat in closer.
Relieved of his weight in the bow its keel grated on the dry sand, and
the other two were able to step out easily enough.

They drew the boat up good and far on the beach.

"The wind's liable to get even stronger than it is," remarked Thad, "and
we don't want a second experience of having the canoe blown out on the
lake."

"I should say not," observed Smithy, uneasily; for he had onl