Young Hunters of the Lake; or, Out with Rod and Gun

YOUNG HUNTERS OF THE LAKE

or Out with Rod and Gun

By Captain Ralph Bonehill

CONTENTS

CHAPTERS
I. Four Lively Boys
II. Swimming, and What Followed
III. A Trick That Failed
IV. The Story of a Ghost
V. A Fourth of July Celebration
VI. Preparing for the Grand Outing
VII. At the Boathouse
VIII. How Two Prowlers Were Treated
IX. The First Day of the Outing
X. The Story of a Strange Disappearance
XI. A Search for a Rowboat
XII. The Camp on Lake Cameron
XIII. In the Camp of the Enemy
XIV. Delayed by a Storm
XV. Lost in the Swamp
XVI. The Rescue of Giant
XVII. On Lake Narsac at Last
XVIII. The Old Hermit's Tale
XIX. A Dangerous Deer Hunt
XX. The Mysterious Voice
XXI. In Which the Enemy Appears Again
XXII. A Lively Time in the Dark
XXIII. The Loss of the Raft
XXIV. Out on a Sand Bar
XXV. Jed Sanborn Brings News
XXVI. A Hunt After Wildcats
XXVII. Into a Bears' Den
XVIII. The Caves in the Mountain
XXIX. Visited by the Ghost
XXX. The Secret of the Mysterious Voice
XXXI. The Last of the Ghost—-Conclusion

PREFACE

My Dear Lads:

This story is complete in itself but forms volume three of a line known under the general title of "Boy Hunters Series," and taking in adventures in the field, the forest, and on the river and lake, both in winter and summer.

The boys of these stories are bright, wide-awake lads of to-day, with a taste for rod and shotgun, and a life in the open air. They know a good deal about fishing and how to shoot, and camp life is no new thing to them. In the first volume, entitled, "Four Boy Hunters," they organize a little club of four members and go forth for a summer vacation. They have such good times that, when Winter comes on, they resolve to go camping again, and do so, as related in the second volume, called "Guns and Snowshoes." In that story they fall victims to a blizzard, and spend a most remarkable Christmas; but, of course, all ends happily.

In the present story, summer is once more at hand, and again the boy hunters venture forth, this time bound for a large lake a good many miles from their home town. They have a jolly cruise on the water, fall in with a very peculiar old hermit, and are molested not a little by some rivals. They likewise follow up two bears, and are treated to a ghost scare calculated to make anybody's hair stand on end. What the ghost proved to be I leave the pages which follow to reveal.

As I have said before, good hunting, especially in our eastern states, is fast becoming a thing of the past. In some sections only small game can be had and even then the eager hunter has to travel many miles sometimes for a shot.

Trusting that all boys who love the woods and waters, a rod, a gun and a restful camp will enjoy reading this volume, I remain,

Your sincere friend, Captain Ralph Bonehill.

CHAPTER I

FOUR LIVELY BOYS

"Boys, I'm going swimming. Who is going along?"

"Count me in, Snap," answered Shep Reed.

"Swimming?" came from a third youth of the crowd of four. "Why, you couldn't keep me away if you tried. I've been waiting for a swim for about eleven years——-"

"And a day," broke in a small, stout youth. "Don't forget the day,
Whopper, if you want to be really truthful.

"All right, put in the day," cheerfully assented the lad called Whopper, because of his propensity to exaggerate when speaking. "Of course you'll go, too, Giant?" he added, questioningly.

"Will I?" answered the small youth. "Will a duck swim and a cow eat clover? To be sure I'll go. But I'll have to run home first and tell mother."

"I'll have to go home, too," said the lad called Snap. "But I can be back here in a quarter of an hour."

"Where shall we go?" asked Shep Reed.

"I was thinking of going up to Lane's Cove," answered Snap Dodge.

"Lane's Cove!" cried the smallest youth of the crowd.

"Yes. Isn't that a nice place?"

"Sure it is, but don't you know that Ham Spink's father has bought all the land around there?"

"What of that, Giant?"

"Maybe he won't let us go swimming on his property—-because of the trouble we had with Ham."

"Oh, I don't believe he'll see us," came from the boy called Whopper. "Why, I've been swimming at the cove a thousand times, and nobody ever tried to stop me."

"If he orders us away we can go," said Shep Reed. "I know he is just mean enough to do it."

"Is Ham home yet?" asked one of the boys.

"No, but I heard he was going to come home as soon as that boarding school shut up for the summer."

"Wonder if he'll try to make more trouble?"

"If he does he'd better watch out, or he'll get into hot water," said Shep Reed; and then the boys separated, to get their swimming outfits and tell their folks what they proposed to do.

The boys lived in the town of Fairview, a country place, located on the Rocky River, about ten miles above a fine sheet of water called Lake Cameron. The town boasted of a score of stores, several churches, a hotel, and a neat railroad station at which, during the summer months, as high as ten trains stopped daily. On the outskirts of the town were a saw mill, a barrel factory, and several other industries.

To those who have read the two former books in this series, entitled, "Four Boy Hunters" and "Guns and Snowshoes," the lads getting ready for a swim will need no special introduction. The lad called Snap was Charley Dodge, the son of one of the most influential men of that neighborhood, who was a school trustee and also part owner of the saw mill and a large summer hotel. Charley was a brave and wide-awake youth and was often looked up to as a leader by the others. Where his nickname of Snap had originated it would be hard to say, although he was as full of snap and ginger as a shad is full of bones.

Sheppard Reed, always called Shep for short, was the son of a well-known physician, a boy who loved outdoor life, and one who was as strong as he was handsome. He and Snap had been chums for many years, and as a consequence were occasionally known as the twins, although they were no relation to each other.

Frank Dawson had moved to Fairview about three years before this tale opens. He was a merry lad, with laughing eyes, and his method of exaggerating had speedily gained for him the nickname of Whopper. But Frank was withal a truthful lad his "whoppers" being of the sort meant to deceive nobody. Even his mother could not make him give up his extravagant speech. Once when she spoke about it he gravely replied:

"I know it is wrong, mother, but I simply can't stop it. Why, I've made up my mind over a million times to—-" And then he broke down, and his mother had to laugh in spite of herself.

The smallest lad of the four was Will Caslette, always called Billy or Giant. He was the son of a widow lady, who owned a small but neat cottage on one of the side streets of the town. Mrs. Caslette thought the world of her offspring and Giant was fully worthy of the affection she bestowed upon him. Although small in size he was manly in his deportment, and at school he was as bright as any one in his class.

About a year before, the four boys had organized an outing or gun club and obtained permission to go camping for a few weeks in the vicinity of Lake Cameron. They reached the lake after several adventures and settled down in a comfortable camp, from which, however, they were driven by a saw mill owner named Andrew Felps, who ran a rival concern to that in which Snap's father owned an interest. The young hunters then moved to Firefly Lake, a mile away, and there hunted and fished to their hearts' content. They were frequently joined by old Jed Sanborn, a trapper who lived in the mountains between the lakes. They had some trouble with Ham Spink, a dudish young man of the town, who established a rival camp not far off, and they came close to perishing during a disastrous forest fire.

The summer outing made the boys hungry for more, and as soon as the winter holidays were at hand they made arrangements to go into the woods again, this time taking their outfits on sleds. They had with them their snowshoes, and found the latter articles very useful when out after game. They fixed up a comfortable camp, and rescued a half-frozen tramp. But the tramp did not appreciate what had been done for him and ran away with some of their things, which brought on a lively pursuit. Then the boys had more trouble with Ham Spink and his crony, Carl Dudder. In the end it was discovered that Ham and Carl had gotten the tramp to annoy the young hunters, and as a result Mr. Spink and Mr. Dudder had to foot some heavy bills for their sons. Ham and Carl were sent off to a strict boarding school, where their parents hoped they would turn over a new leaf. Snap and his chums came back home loaded down with game.

"The best outing ever!" declared more than one of the boys.

"We'll have to go again!"

"Yes, indeed!"

And then and there they began to plan what to do during the next vacation.

"I've got an idea," said Snap, one day, during the spring. "Why not get a good boat—-one that will stand some hard knocks—-and go through Lake Cameron and Firefly Lake to Lake Narsac? Jed Sanborn was telling me that was a fine place for hunting and fishing, and the lake is as clear as crystal."

"It's an awfully wild place, so I was told," said Shep.

"About a million snakes up there, so I once heard," put in Whopper. "Snakes are so thick you have to kick 'em out of your way to walk around."

"Excuse me, I don't want any snakes," answered Giant, with a shiver.

"Somebody once told me the lake was haunted," said Snap. "But of course that wouldn't scare us—-we are not afraid of ghosts, are we?"

"No!" came from all of the others promptly.

"The ghost that tries to scare me will get his ear pinched," added
Giant, and said this so drolly that all had to laugh.

"One thing is sure," said Shep, after a pause, "with fish, game, snakes and ghosts we'd certainly find enough to interest us, eh?"

"Is the lake very deep?" asked Giant.

"Jed Sanborn told me that you can't touch bottom in some places," answered Snap. "The lake lies right between three tall mountains. He said we might have to carry our boat around some of the rocks in the stream leading to it."

"Well, we can do that to—-providing the boat isn't too heavy."

This talk led to many others, and in the end it was decided that the four boys should start on the trip the week following the Fourth of July. Then commenced active preparations. Guns were cleaned, camping outfits overhauled, and the lads looked around for just the right boat in which to make the trip. Through Mr. Dodge a fine, strong craft was obtained; and then the lads waited impatiently for the day to come when they should begin the outing on the lake. They anticipated some adventures, but did not dream of the curious happenings in store for them.

CHAPTER II

SWIMMING, AND WHAT FOLLOWED

Lane's Cove was situated almost a mile from Fairview, but the four boys did not think anything of walking that distance. All were good pedestrians, for their numerous outings had hardened their muscles and given them good lung power. Even little Giant trudged along as swiftly as the rest and even suggested a race when they came in sight of the spot selected by Snap for the afternoon's fun.

"No, don't run—-you'll get overheated," said Whopper. "When
I run I sweat like a house afire."

"Sweating like a house afire is good!" murmured Giant, with a grin. "Now if you had only said sweat like a stone, or a piece of iron, all of us would have known what you meant. As it is—-" And then he stopped and ducked, to escape the piece of dried mud Whopper playfully shied at him.

The cove reached, the boys speedily found a spot that suited them. It was at a point where some overhanging bushes and trees sheltered a strip of sandy shore. At one point a rock ran out into the river, making an excellent place from which to dive.

The lads hustled into the bushes and in a very few minutes Snap appeared in his bathing outfit and was followed by Shep.

"Beat you in!" cried the doctor's son, but hardly had he spoken when Snap made a leap and landed into the river with a loud splash. Shep came after him, and both disappeared under the surface, to come up a second later, thrashing around wildly.

"Whew! it isn't so warm as I thought!" ejaculated Shep. "No Turkish bath about this!" And he gave a slight shiver.

"You'll soon get used to it," replied Snap. "It's always the first plunge that takes the breath out of a fellow."

Giant came in next, diving from the rock. Whopper followed more slowly, putting in first one foot and then the other.

"Moses in the bulrushes!" he gasped. "Say, this water is about half ice, isn't it?" And he drew back again.

"Whopper, you know better than to go in that way," remonstrated Snap.
"Wet your face and then go in head first—-it's the only right way.
If you go in by inches you'll gasp fit to turn your liver over."

Very gingerly Whopper wet his face. As the water ran down his backbone he let out another yell.

"Don't know as I'll go in," he observed. "I thought it would be much warmer."

"Oh, yes, come in," urged Snap.

In the meantime Shep had come to shore and crawled out, behind some bushes. Softly he crept up behind Whopper. Then came a sudden shove, and over went Frank with a loud yell and a splash that sent the spray in all directions. Before he came up Shep was out of sight behind a tree.

"Say, wh—-who—-" spluttered Whopper, as he came up and gazed around half angrily. Then he caught sight of a shoulder back of the tree. "Come out of that, and let me give you something to remember me by!" And he struck out for shore.

But Shep had no intention of being caught, and as Whopper came out he sprang in. Then Frank came after him, and a race ensued, in which Snap and Giant joined. The rapid swimming warmed all the boys, and then they declared the water "just O.K.," as Snap expressed it. Whopper watched his chance to get even with Shep, and when the other was not looking, dove down and caught the doctor's son by the foot. Shep was just shouting to Giant and had his mouth wide open, and as a consequence swallowed a lot of water. When he and Whopper came up they indulged in a splashing contest lasting several minutes.

"What's the matter with swimming across the river?" suggested Snap, presently.

"It's a pretty good distance," answered Giant. "And you must remember the current is rather swift."

"I'll go, Snap," said Shep, who was always ready to follow his "twin."

"I don't think I'll try it to-day," put in Whopper. "I'll stay on this side with Giant. If you find anything good to eat over there bring it along," he added.

"Might find some berries," said Snap.

At this point the river, from the outer edge of the cove, was about a hundred yards wide. The boys had frequently swum across, so Snap's proposal to go over was nothing unusual. Side by side the boys started out and took their time. They did not attempt to stem the current but allowed it to carry them down the river for several hundred feet. They landed where there was an old orchard, backed up by a large strawberry patch.

"No apples ripe around here," said Snap, as he and his chum walked up the river bank, to a point opposite where they had left Giant and Whopper.

"Let us go over to the strawberry patch," suggested Shep. "We may find some strawberries worth eating."

As nobody was in sight, the proposition was readily accepted, and the boys picked their way carefully along, for they had no desire to hurt their bare feet. Reaching the patch, they began a hunt and soon discovered a corner where the berries were thick and sweet.

"Say, this is prime!" observed the doctor's son, smacking his lips.
"This would suit Giant and Whopper to a T!"

"Wonder if we can carry any over to them, Shep?"

"I don't see why not. A little water won't hurt them. In fact they ought to be washed, they are that full of sand."

"Who owns this patch?"

"Old Tom Ashenbury."

"Well, we had better keep out of his sight, or he'll be after us with his gun. Don't you remember how he chased us once, when we were walking through his peach orchard?"

"Indeed I do. But we are doing little harm here. In a few days all these berries will be rotten. I guess he has given up picking them."

In moving around the boys had found a couple of old berry baskets, and these they now proceeded to fill. The task was about half completed when Snap suddenly straightened up.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What?" demanded his chum.

"I thought I heard a cry from across the river."

Both listened, but nothing came to their ears.

"You must have been mistaken," said the doctor's son, and resumed his work of picking strawberries.

"No use of picking more," said Snap, a few minutes later. "We'll be lucky to get over with these. Perhaps we'll drop half of them, trying to swim."

"Hi, look there!" shouted his companion, and pointed across the field in the direction of the river.

A flock of sheep had suddenly appeared, some fifteen or twenty in number. At the head was a large ram, who gazed in wonder at the two boys in their bathing outfits.

"Say, that ram means business!" ejaculated Snap, an instant later.
"We had better clear out of here."

"Come on, I'm willing," responded the doctor's son, and started for the stream, carrying the basket of strawberries in one hand.

"Let us go up the stream," went on Snap. "No use of getting too close to him. I don't like his looks."

Both boys had good cause to feel alarmed, for the ram was coming toward them on a trot. Once or twice he stopped and pawed the ground, but then he came on, and they could see he meant to attack them.

"He's coming for us!"

"Can we reach the river!"

"We must reach it!"

Then the two boys broke into a run, giving no further heed to the fact that the ground was uneven and that their feet were bare. They had heard stories of vicious rams many times, and knew that only the year before a girl had been almost mauled to death by such an animal.

They had still fifty yards to cover when Snap went into a hole and pitched headlong. Shep was directly behind him, and over he went on top of his chum, crushing one of the baskets of strawberries between them. The other basket was scattered in all directions over the ground.

"There go our berries," grumbled Snap. "Too bad!"

"Get up!" roared Shep, scrambling to his feet. "Here comes the ram, and he's as wild as they make 'em!"

He caught his chum by the arm, and both tried to go on. But Snap's ankle had received a bad wrench and he was forced to limp.

The boys had to pass a low shed, used occasionally for the storage of fruit and baskets. As they reached this the ram came up and lowered his head.

"Jump for the shed!" yelled Shep, and caught hold of the roof of the structure. He scrambled to the top and gave his chum a hand. Then on came the ram and hit the side of the frail building a resounding whack with his head. Snap escaped by less than a foot; and then both boys stood upright on the top of the shed wondering what they had best do next.

CHAPTER III

A TRICK THAT FAILED

"We are in a pickle, Snap."

"It certainly looks like it, Shep."

"How long do you suppose that ram is going to keep us here?"

"I don't know—-maybe you'd better ask him."

"I wouldn't feel quite so bad if I had on my, regular clothing and my shoes. But with this thin outfit—-"

"Here he comes again!" was the cry, and crash! the head of the ram struck the shed once more, causing it to tremble greatly.

"I really think he's trying to knock the old thing down!" was the comment of the doctor's son.

The boys tried to look across the river, but could not because of a heavy clump of bushes growing between the shed and the water's edge. They heard a distant cry and wondered what it meant.

"I believe that is Giant and Whopper calling," said Snap.

"More than likely they are tired of waiting for us. Maybe they are dressing."

A few of the sheep had come up and were gazing curiously at the boys and the ram. Then the ram commenced to walk around the shed, viewing it speculatively from all sides.

"Looks like a warrior, doesn't he?" said Shep. "Wish I had a brickbat to throw at him."

"Here's a short board!" cried Snap, and tore off a piece that was partly loose. "I wish I could reach him with this."

"Wait, I'll coax him over," answered the doctor's son, and put down a leg over the edge of the roof. At once the ram charged, and as he did this Snap threw the board at him, hitting him in the side. This so surprised the animal that he turned and ran away a distance of several rods.

"Now is our chance! Come!" yelled Snap, and leaped from the roof of the shed on the river side. His chum followed, and once again the pair put for the stream with all speed. They kept out of sight of the ram as much as possible and he did not see them until they were almost at the water's edge. Before he could come up they dove into the stream and swam out several yards.

"Say, that's what I call a narrow shave!" cried Shep, when he and his chum realized that the danger was over. "I want nothing more to do with that ram."

"It's a pity we lost the strawberries," returned Snap. "However, it can't be helped."

The two boys were soon well out in the river and they looked anxiously over to the cove. Nothing was to be seen of Giant and Whopper.

"They must be behind the bushes dressing," said Snap. "Hello!" he yelled. "Hello! Where are you?"

No answer was returned, and the doctor's son joined in the cry. Then both boys pulled a more hasty stroke and soon got to a point where they could wade ashore.

"It can't be possible they went home," said Snap, as he gazed around in perplexity.

"We'll soon see," was the answer, and the doctor's son ran to the bushes where the clothing had been left. "Well, I never!" he cried.

"Why, all the clothing is gone!

"Yes, their clothing and ours too!

"Do you think they've played a trick on us?"

"No, they wouldn't be so mean."

"But where are they, and where is our clothing?"

"I don't know."

In deep perplexity the two chums looked around that vicinity. No trace of Giant or Whopper was to be found and the only article of wearing apparel they could discover was a blue-and-white sock.

"That's Giant's sock," said Snap. "And that proves something is wrong. He wouldn't go away and leave his own sock behind."

"True enough, Snap, but what do you think happened?"

"I don't know, unless they caught somebody in the act of running off with our duds and ran after them."

"Let us call again."

This they did, using the full power of their lungs. Soon an answering cry came back, and Whopper appeared on the river bank above them, followed by Giant. Each carried a bundle of clothing under his arm and some shoes in his hand.

"Well, what does this mean?" demanded the doctor's son, as the others drew closer.

"You're fine fellows to stay away so long," grumbled Giant.

"We called to you about a million times that we wanted help," put in Whopper.

"Well, we've had our troubles of our own," answered Snap. "A big, angry ram came after us and held us prisoners for awhile. But what happened here? Did somebody run away with our outfits."

"Yes, and we had a great time getting them again," answered Whopper.

"We had to run after the chaps barefooted," came from Giant. "Just look at my feet," and he showed how they had been cut and scratched.

"Who were they?" demanded the doctor's son.

"We don't know exactly, but we've got our suspicions," answered the small boy.

"There were two of them," said Whopper. "Both good-sized fellows. We didn't hear them until they had all the clothes in their arms and were running away. As soon as they heard us coming both threw their coats up over their heads, so we wouldn't recognize them. They would have gotten away sure only Giant yelled that he would fire a pistol at them if they didn't stop and then they, got scared and dropped the clothing in a ditch."

"And who do you think they were?" asked Snap.

"Ham Spink and Carl Dudder."

"Why, they aren't home from boarding school yet!" cried Shep.

"I don't care, that's what I think," said Giant, sturdily. "I know just how those fellows look and walk. Of course I didn't see their faces, but I am pretty sure they were Ham and Carl."

"They may have gotten home during the last day or two," said Snap, slowly, "and it would be just like them to lay around waiting to play some mean trick on us. If they had gotten off with our clothing we'd have been in a fine pickle truly!"

"That's right—-worse than with the ram," answered the doctor's son, and then he and Snap told of what had occurred on the other side of the river.

"Too bad you lost those strawberries," sighed Whopper. "I like strawberries so much I could eat about——-"

"A million platesful," finished Snap, with a grin.

"No, I was going to say a spoonful or two," said Whopper, and then Snap groaned.

The boys found two socks, a collar and a necktie missing, and a long search around failed to bring the articles to light. One of the undershirts had been knotted up tightly, and Shep had to "chaw on the beef," as boys call it, to get the knots untied.

"I'd like to know if it really was Ham and Carl," he growled. "If it was I'll fix them for this new trick of theirs."

"How were they dressed?" asked Snap.

"Each wore a brown suit, kind of yellow brown," answered Whopper.
"I'd know 'em out of a million.

"We'll lay for them, Whopper."

Having donned their clothing, the four boys started back for town. To get to the road they had to cross a wide pasture, and when they were in the middle of this they saw a man approaching. The man carried a heavy cane, which he shook at them.

"Hello, it's Mr. Spink!" cried Snap.

"Come to warn us away, I suppose," grumbled the doctor's son. "Shall
I tell him about what was done to our clothing?"

"No," answered Whopper. "We are not certain it was Ham and Carl."

Mr. Spink was a tall, overbearing man, who dressed almost as loudly as did his son. He strode up to the four lads with a dark look on his face, and this look grew even more resentful when he recognized them.

"Ha! so you are going to come here in spite of my warnings, eh?" he said, harshly.

"You haven't warned us or anything, Mr. Spink," answered Snap, calmly.

"Can't you read? Doesn't the sign say, 'All trespassing forbidden'?
That is plain English, isn't it?"

"I haven't seen any sign," said Shep

"Because you didn't want to see it, young man!"

"We have only been down to the cove swimming," put in Giant.

"This land is mine now, and I want you boys to keep off of it," exclaimed Mr. Spink, hotly. "If I catch you on it again I'll have you arrested."

"We'll get off as soon as we can," answered Snap. And then he added suddenly: "Is Ham home?"

"You mean my son Hamilton, I presume? Yes, he is home. What do you want of him?"

"Nothing, just now. But we may want something later," answered
Snap, and started again for the road, his chums following.

CHAPTER IV

THE STORY OF A GHOST

"I say, what do you want of my son Hamilton?" repeated Mr. Spink, coming after the boys with a look of curiosity on his face.

"We want to see him," replied Snap, after a look at his chums.

"What about?"

"We think he played us a mean trick," put in Whopper, as Snap paused.

"Oh, I thought that affair was a thing of the past," said Mr.
Spink, loftily. "My son was not to blame so much as that tramp.
The tramp told a string of falsehoods—-"

"We don't mean that, Mr. Spink," spoke up Giant. "We mean a trick
Ham and his friend, Carl Dudder, played on us this afternoon."

"Humph! You ahem!—-you must be mistaken."

"If we are we won't say anything," said Whopper. "But if he did play the trick—-"

"We'll get square with him for it," finished Shep.

"What are you talking about anyway?" demanded the rich man. "I don't see why you can't leave my son alone."

"We will—-if he'll leave us alone," said Snap.

"What do you accuse him of?"

"While we were swimming two fellows came up, took our clothes, and tried to run away with them," came from Giant. "We are pretty sure the fellows were Ham and Carl. When we went after them they dropped the clothes in a hurry. Two socks, a collar, and a necktie are missing."

"Yes, and my undershirt was full of knots," grumbled the doctor's son.
"Just wait till I catch the fellows who did that—-I'll show 'em!"

"Humph! is that all?" growled Mr. Spink. "I imagine you are only making up this tale to get my son into difficulties,—-just because you know I will not permit you to come here to swim. Now clear out, and be quick about it,—-and don't ever come here again." And having thus delivered himself he shook his heavy cane at them, turned on his heel, and walked, away.

"He's a gentleman, I must say," declared Snap, when Mr. Spink was out of hearing. "A person can easily see where Ham gets his arrogant ways."

"Yes, and he'll stick up for Ham first, last and all the time," added Whopper.

As the boys walked home they discussed the situation from several points of view. Reaching the street leading to the railroad depot they came in sight of a familiar figure ahead of them. It was the old hunter, Jed Sanborn, and he carried a gun in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, while a basket was slung over his shoulder by a broad strap.

"Hello, Jed!" sang out Snap, and ran forward to stop the man.

"Why, boys, how are ye!" said the old hunter, turning around and halting. "Ready to go on your summer trip?" And he smiled broadly.

"Not yet," answered Shep. "But we are going out after the Fourth of July."

"So I heard. Well, I hope ye have as good a time as ye had last summer an' last winter."

"We want to know something about Lake Narsac," came from Whopper. "I've heard there were about a million snakes up there and all big fellows, too. Is that true?"

"O' course it is," answered Jed Sanborn, with a grin. "Snakes is twenty to fifty feet long, and so thick ye have to wade through 'em up to your knees. Ha ha!" and he commenced to laugh. "I got ahead of ye thet time, didn't I, Whopper?"

"But tell us the truth," insisted Giant. "We're thinking of camping up there, and, of course, we won't want to go if there is any real danger."

"Well, to tell the plain, everyday truth, boys, I don't allow as how there is any more reptiles up to Lake Narsac nor there be around Lake Firefly an' in the mountains whar I hang out. Narsac may have a few more rattlers, an' them's the wust kind—-you know thet as well as I do. The wust thing I know about Lake Narsac is the ghost up thar."

"Is there really and truly a ghost?" queried the doctor's son.
"Of course, I don't believe in them," he added, hastily.

"If ye don't believe in 'em why do ye ask about 'em?" demanded the old hunter, rather indignantly.

"Oh, well—-" and Shep could not finish.

"Did you ever see the ghost?" asked Snap.

"I sure did, my boy."

"When?" cried Whopper.

"What did it look like?" demanded Giant.

"I see the ghost less nor a month ago—-when I was up to Lake Narsac after fish. It was a foggy morning, an' I was fishing from a little island near the upper end o' the lake. All to once I heard a strange sound, like somebody was moanin'. I sat up an' listened, an' I looked around——-"

"And what did you see?" asked Giant, excitedly.

"Didn't see nuthing just then. Soon the moanin' died out, an' I thought I must have made a mistake, an' I went on fishin' ag'in. Then come that strange moanin' once more, an' it made me shiver, for I was in a mighty lonely spot. All to once, something cried out, 'He's dead! He's dead!' I looked around, but I couldn't see a soul. 'Who is thar?' I called. Then I heard a strange whistle, an a rustlin' in the bushes. A minute later I saw a figure in bright yellow standin' out before me on the lake. It seemed to move right over the water in the fog, an' in less than a minute it was gone."

"What was it?" asked Snap, and his voice trembled a little.

"I dunno, Snap. It looked like a real old man, with claw-like hands. I called out to him, but he didn't answer, and when he seemed to be lost like in a smoke, I was scared an' I don't deny it. Just then I felt a big tug on my line an' I pulled in an' found I had hooked a water snake. Thet settled me, an' I came down to Firefly Lake an' to hum quick as I could git thar!"

"What do you think it was?" asked Whopper.

"I can't for the life o' me tell."

"Are you sure you heard that voice, or was that imagination?" asked Snap.

"It wasn't no imagination whatsoever," answered the old hunter, positively. "I heard thet voice jest as plain as I can hear yourn, an' it come right out o' the sky, too!"

"That is certainly queer," mused Snap. "You say the ghost was yellow?"

"It was."

"I thought most ghosts were white," put in the doctor's son.

"Was it a man?" asked Frank.

"If it was, how did he walk on the water?" demanded Jed Sanborn. "Oh, it was a sure ghost, no two ways on it!" And the old hunter shook his head positively.

"Are there any houses near the lake?" questioned Giant.

"Not a house within two or three miles. It is the wildest place you ever visited," answered Jed Sanborn. "Hunters don't go there much on account of the rough rocks in the stream flowing into Narsac. If you take a boat you may have to tote it a good bit—-an' it ain't much use to go up there less you've got a boat, because you can't travel much along the shore—-too many thorn bushes."

After that the old hunter told them all he knew about Lake Narsac. He said the lake and its surroundings were owned by the estate of a New England millionaire who had died four years before. In settling the estate the heirs had gone to law, and the rightful possession of the sheet of water with the mountains around it was still in dispute.

"One thing is sartin," said the old hunter. "If ye go up thar, ye won't have no Andrew Felps chasin' ye away—-as was the case up to Lake Cameron."

"No, but we may have the ghost chasing us," answered Giant.

"Say, maybe we had better go somewhere else," suggested Whopper, hesitatingly.

"Whopper, are you afraid of ghosts?" demanded Snap.

"N—-no, but I—-er—-I'd like to go somewhere where we wouldn't be bothered by anything."

"I am going to Lake Narsac, ghosts or no ghosts!" cried the doctor's son.

"So am I," added Snap, promptly. "If Whopper wants to stay behind—-"

"Who said anything about staying behind?" demanded Whopper. "If you go so will I, even if there are a million ghosts up there."

"I don't believe in ghosts," came from little Giant. "It's some humbug, that's what it is."

"Maybe, maybe," answered Jed Sanborn. "But if you hear that voice and see that yellow thing—-well, I reckon your hair will stick up on end, jest as mine did!"

CHAPTER V

A FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION

On the following Monday Snap and Shep were walking down the main street of Fairview when they heard a cry and saw Giant beckoning to them from the post-office steps.

"What's up?" asked Snap, as he came up to the small youth.

"Ham Spink and Carl Dudder just went in to mail some letters," said Giant.

"What of that?"

"Whopper went in after them. Whopper and I are now sure it was
Ham and Carl who tried to steal our clothing the day we went swimming."

"How do you know that?" asked the doctor's son.

"By the way they are dressed. They have the same yellow-brown suits on they wore that day."

Giant had scarcely spoken when Whopper came out. His face showed that he was angry.

"I told you they did it," he said to Giant. Then, seeing the others, he explained:

"I accused them of it and they admitted taking the clothes—- they said it was nothing but a little joke and they laughed at me. Then when I said they could pay for the missing things they told me to clear out or they'd have me locked up for trespassing on Mr. Spink's land!"

"That's like Ham," answered Snap.

"I wish we could pay them off good," went on Whopper.

Just then Ham Spink and Carl Dudder came out of the post-office. Snap and the others were standing behind some boxes of goods and the dude and his chum did not at once see them.

"We'll have a celebration with those fireworks when they come," Ham was saying. "We'll show Fairview a great sight."

"That's right," returned Carl Dudder. "We'll put them in my father's barn until we want to use them."

Then both boys caught sight of Snap and the others and broke off their talk. They, wanted to brush past without speaking, but Snap and Shep blocked the way.

"We want to talk to you," said Snap.

"We have nothing to say," cried Ham, haughtily. "Get out of my way!"
And he tried to brush past again.

"Ham Spink, I want to say just one thing," answered Snap. "I think you are as mean as you ever were, and I, for one, am going to pay you back for what you did the day we went swimming."

"Oh, give us a rest" muttered the dudish youth, and went on, and
Carl Dudder followed, sticking his tongue in his cheek as he passed.

"Say, shall we pitch into them?" whispered Whopper. "We can knock them into the middle of next month!"

"No—-wait—-I've just thought of something," interposed Snap. "Let them go and come with me."

He led the way to a safe distance and then turned to Whopper.

"Did you hear them speak of some fireworks?"

"Sure."

"Did they say anything about the fireworks in the post office?

"Why, yes. But what has that got to do with———"

"What did they say, Whopper?"

"Why, it seems Ham and Carl and some other fellows—-the same crowd that has been against us for so long—-have chipped in and ordered some fireworks from the city. They are going to set the fireworks off in front of the Dudder house on Fourth of July night. The Spink family and some others are to be there. Ham and Carl are boasting what a fine celebration it is to be."

"Then I know what I'm going to do," said Snap.

"What?" came from all of the others.

"They took our clothing—-why can't we take the fireworks?"

"Whoop! Just the cheese!" ejaculated Whopper. "We can set them off in the public square."

"Where the whole community can see them," added Giant.

"And we can return the remains after they are shot off," came from the doctor's son.

The matter was talked over for a half hour. All of the boys knew it was not just right to appropriate the fireworks but they were "dead sore" on Ham and Carl and knew no other way to "get square."

The boys had made only a few preparations for the Fourth, for nearly all of their spending money had been used up in buying things for the proposed outing. They had some firecrackers, and some blank cartridges for their pistols, and that was all.

Independence Day dawned bright and clear and throughout the town of
Fairview there was the usual amount of noise. During the morning
Snap heard from another lad how Ham and Carl were boasting of their
fireworks.

"Finest fireworks the town ever saw," Ham had said. All the boys were invited to "hang on the Dudder fence" and see them set off that evening at nine o'clock.

"Now is the time for us to do something," said Snap to his chums, a little later.

The evening before they had visited the Dudder barn but had failed to locate the fireworks.

"That's right," said Giant. "The fireworks are there now—-I saw
Carl and Ham bringing them from the express office."

With caution the four boys walked down a side street, which connected, by an alleyway, with the Dudder barn. Nobody was in sight, and they slipped into the barn with ease. In a corner, on the floor, they saw a long, flat box, marked "Fireworks! With care!"

"We mustn't take them all!" said Shep. "We must leave a top row—-just to fool 'em."

The others understood and went to work with care. In a very few minutes they had most of the fireworks pinwheels, rockets, Roman candles, flower pots and others—-in their possession. Then they stuffed hay in the bottom of the box and on the top placed two pinwheels and three small Roman candles.