ast victim; and then came this sudden
call upon his energies.

He stared all around him, but could not see any sign of mischievous
Steve. The trees were for the most part too small to very well conceal
any one behind their trunks, it being every bit second-growth timber.

"Steve, l-l-let up on that f-f-foolin', and b-b-bring me back my
b-b-basket of b-b-bully f-f-frogs' legs, won't you, please?"

Toby called this out fairly loud, having by now managed to partly
recover his lost breath. He waited, and hoped to see the laughing face
of his chum thrust itself into view; but nothing happened.

Then Toby began to grow alarmed. He reached down, and snatched the gun
from its resting-place alongside the tree-trunk; after which he pulled
back both hammers with trembling thumb, while he scanned his
surroundings. His eyes were distended, and there was an anxious glow in
them; just as though the boy half expected that a savage striped jungle
tiger would suddenly make a leap from out the branches of a pine tree
near by, and seek to pounce upon him.

But although he scanned each neighboring harbor of refuge earnestly he
saw not a sign of a yellow form lying on a limb, and watching him
hungrily.

Toby all at once became eager to call his chums to the spot. There
seemed to be a strange mystery attached to this sudden disappearance of
his prized trophies, which he could not begin to understand. One minute
the creel had been here in full view, and when he looked again, lo and
behold, it was gone!

He at least had the good sense to stop long enough before starting to
make sure that he was going to run in the right direction; and then he
used his legs to the best advantage.

All the time he was trying to sprint as though engaged in a road race
with some of the best runners in Carson High athletic circles, Toby kept
looking to the right and to the left, and then behind him; for he more
than half anticipated that this retreat on his part might spur the
unknown enemy on to attacking him.

However, he drew near the camp without anything happening. Now he could
hear the voice of Steve again trolling some ditty, while Bandy-legs
called out to ask Max a question.

This would seem to prove that the whole three of them were there. It
also added to the mystery; because all along Toby had kept saying to
himself he half expected to learn that Steve was absent, and that
neither of the others knew where he had wandered; for this would make i