e," announced Jack, who had the
rabbit to his credit. "We won't go hungry, that's sure!"

"And don't forget that we've got those wild turkeys to eat," added Andy,
who had laid low the two woodcocks.

Being unaccustomed to the use of snowshoes, the lads were glad to rest.
They built themselves a little campfire, and, huddling around this,
partook of the lunch they had brought along, washing it down with some
hot chocolate from a thermos bottle they carried.

The lunch finished, they set off once again, this time going deeper into
the woods than ever.

"Listen!" cried Jack presently. "I thought I heard some game stirring."

All came to a halt and listened intently. From a distance they heard a
peculiar drumming sound.

"Partridges, I'll bet anything!" cried Randy in a low voice. "Come on,
let's see if we can't get some of them."

He led the way over the snow, and the others were not slow in following.
They had reached a point where the trees grew sparingly, and where there
were a great number of rocks and brushwood.

They could hear a strange fluttering, and then a number of partridges
arose in the air some distance in front of them. All took hasty aim and
fired, but the game sailed out of sight unharmed.

"That's the time we missed it," observed Jack dismally. "I guess we made
too much noise and they heard us."

"Listen!" interrupted Randy. "There is some sort of fight going on
ahead."

He was right; and, listening, they made out a strange bark mingled with
a snarl and several yelps.

"Let's go ahead and see what it means!" exclaimed Andy, and pushed on,
with the others close behind him.

The boys had to skirt some heavy brushwood, and then came out in a small
cleared space surrounded by numerous big rocks and pine trees. The
strange noises they had heard had come from between two of the large
rocks, and now, of a sudden, several forms, snapping and snarling and
whirling this way and that in the snow, burst upon their view.

"Wolves!"

"Four of them!"

"They are all fighting over the possession of a dead partridge!"

Four gaunt and hungry-looking wolves had come tumbling out in the snow.
One of them was carrying a dead partridge in his mouth, and the other
three were doing their best to get the game away from him. As the Rovers
came into the opening, the wolves, for an instant, stopped their
fighting and glared at the boys. Then the animal having the game made a
sudden leap over the rocks and disapp