g in the morning and send Ruth and her
folks a telegram. There is nothing like striking while the iron is hot."

"Exactly so!" put in Andy. "It's just like catching a flea while he is
biting;" and at this sally there was a general laugh.

Jack was as good as his word, and slipped off early in the morning,
accompanied by Randy. It was a beautiful day, and the youths had little
difficulty in reaching the town. Here the oldest Rover boy spent quite
some time concocting the proper message, which he sent to the Stevenson
home address.

"I only hope somebody will be there to receive it," he said, after the
message had been paid for, and he had urged upon the operator to send it
without delay.

Several more days, including Sunday, passed rather quietly for the boys.
One afternoon there came another fall of snow, and they grew rather
fearful, thinking they might be snowed in. But the fall proved a light
one, and in the morning it was as clear as ever.

Jack had been rather disappointed at not getting the brook mink at which
he had shot, and now he asked the others if they would not go to the
locality where the mink had been seen.

"I'd like to bring one of them down," said the oldest Rover boy.

"Well, we might as well go after the mink as do anything," answered
Fred. He was growing just a bit tired of going after nothing but
rabbits and squirrels. For two days they had seen nothing else at which
to shoot. Even the wolves and wild turkeys kept well out of sight.

The boys found old Uncle Barney polishing his gun. He told them,
however, that he was not going out hunting, but was going into the woods
to inspect some of the trees with a view to cutting them down for
lumber.

"You won't have no easy time of it getting a mink," he said. "The only
way I ever got 'em was in a trap. Howsomever, go ahead and enjoy
yourselves. Hunting is a good deal like fishing--you can have lots of
fun even if you don't get anything," and he chuckled. Nevertheless, his
face looked as if he was somewhat worried.

"I'll wager he's thinking about Ruth's father and that meeting they may
have," said Randy, when the Rovers were alone and preparing to go out on
the hunt.

"Either that, Randy, or else he is brooding over the trouble Professor
Lemm and Mr. Brown are making for him."

"There's one thing I can't understand about this," put in Andy. "Why
should those men be so anxious to obtain possession of an island like
this? It isn't very large,