“He’s up there, I know,” said Archie.

And, laying down his ax and lantern, he caught hold of the sapling, and shook it with all his strength.  But it was a little too large for him to manage, and, although it swayed considerably, the ’coon could easily retain his hold.

“Well,” said Archie, “if he will not come down to us, we’ll have to go up to him, I suppose.”

And he commenced ascending the tree.  Archie was a good hand at climbing, and had shaken more than one ’coon from his roost, and he carefully felt his way up, until he had almost reached the top of the sapling, when, not wishing to trust his weight on the small limbs, he stopped, and again shook the tree, and this time with better success.  There was an angry snarling among the branches above his head, and the ’coon, after trying in vain to retain his hold, came tumbling to the ground.

Quick as thought the dogs were upon him, and, although he made a most desperate resistance, he was speedily overpowered and killed.

The boys picked up their prize, and went back to the cornfield.  The dogs were again sent in, and another ’coon was started, which, like the first, “drew a bee-line” for the woods, with the dogs close behind, and the boys, worked up to the highest pitch of excitement, followed after as fast as their legs could carry them.

The ’coon had managed to get a good start of his pursuers, and he led them a long chase through a low, swampy part of the woods, to the top of a ridge, where the heavy timber grew; and when, at length, the boys came up with the dogs, they found them standing at the foot of a large maple fully ten feet in circumference.

“There!” exclaimed George, “the rascal has succeeded in reaching home.  Good-by, ’coon!”

“Yes,” said Frank, leaning on the muzzle of his gun, and wiping the perspiration from his forehead, “we’re minus that ’coon, easily enough, unless we wait until morning, and cut the tree down.”

“Look here, boys,” suddenly exclaimed George, who had been holding his lantern above his head, and examining the sides of the tree; “did you ever see a tree look like this before?”

As they moved around to the side where George stood, Archie called out,

“There must be a big nest of ’coons in here; the tree is completely skinned.”

“Yes,” said Frank, “we’ve accidentally stumbled upon a regular ’coon-tree.  There must be a big family of them living here.  The tree looks as if some one had taken an ax and cleaned off the bark.  But,” he added, “finding where the ’coons have been and catching them are two very different things.”

“What do you mean?” inquired Archie, “You don’t pretend to say that the ’coons are not in the tree?”

“Certainly I do.  I wouldn’t be afraid to stake Brave against any little cur in the village that the ’coon the dogs have just followed here is the only one in the tree.”

“What makes you think so?”