“Wha—–­what’s the matter?” came in a stammering voice from Giant.

“Who was that?” demanded Snap as, in the darkness, he felt for his gun.  The fire was practically out, and the hollow was intensely gloomy.

“I don’t know; Ham Spink, maybe,” answered the doctor’s son, much bewildered.  “He stood on me and pulled my foot,” he added.

The boy hunters leaped up, and after some trouble armed themselves.  It was dark around the cliff, so they could see nothing.  They listened intently and at a distance heard a peculiar noise and the rustling of some brushwood.

“Shall I give ’em a shot?” suggested Snap.

“No; you might kill somebody,” answered Shep.  He raised his voice:  “Hi, Ham Spink!  Come back here!  We know you!”

To this call no answer was vouchsafed.  Again the boys listened, but now the only sound that broke the stillness was the low wind in the tree branches overhead.

“He has gone, whoever he was,” said Snap.  “Shep, are you sure it was Ham?”

“Not at all.  I only thought it might be.  For all I know it might have been a wild animal.”

“What! to pull your leg?” queried Giant.

“Well, maybe he didn’t really pull the leg.  You see, I was pretty sound asleep.  But he, or it, jumped over me and back again.”

“Let’s make a light and see if the outfit is O.K.,” suggested Snap.  They had a small pocket lantern along, and this was lit and an examination was made.

“See, the sugar bag is bursted open!” cried the doctor’s son.

“The beans are scattered everywhere!” came from Giant.

“And the cracker box is open and some of the crackers are missing,” added Snap.  “That must have been the work of some enemy.  He wanted to destroy our stores.”

“But I—–­I really don’t think it was Ham,” said Shep slowly.  “It was—–­well, it didn’t seem like anybody of that crowd.  I didn’t get much of a look, but it wasn’t like Ham, or Carl, or Dick.”

“A wild animal might do this, rooting around,” said Snap.  “Could it have been a bear?”

“A bear!” ejaculated Giant.  “Don’t say a bear rooted around here while we were asleep!  Why, it’s enough to give a fellow heart failure thinking about it!”

“Wonder what time it is?” said the doctor’s son, and felt for his watch.  “Why, I declare, my watch is gone!” he exclaimed in consternation.

Just then Snap saw something on the ground and picked it up.  It was a shred of a red bandanna handkerchief.

“Boys, do you know what I think?” he said excitedly.  “I think our visitor was that wild hermit who lived in the lonely cabin in the woods!”

“You mean the one Whopper and I met?” asked Shep.

“Yes.”

CHAPTER XVIII

A FIGHT WITH TWO WILDCATS

The doctor’s son and Giant listened with interest to what their chum had to say.