“What a beautiful spot for a cabin!” cried Shep, forgetting all about the deer, for a moment.

“Why not take some pictures?” suggested Snap.  “We may not come this way again.”

The doctor’s son was willing, and they took several views, one of Whopper with his hand full of water lilies.

The trail of the deer led around the rocky elevation, and the three young hunters were moving through some low brushwood when of a sudden they heard a noise ahead of them.

“What’s that?” asked Whopper.

“Bless me if I know,” whispered the doctor’s son.  “Get your guns ready.”

“Here comes a deer!” shouted Snap, and an instant later a magnificent buck burst into view, rushing around the other end of the cliff.  It appeared and disappeared so quickly that to get a shot was all but impossible.

“Well, of all the chumps!” cried Snap in disgust.  “Why didn’t somebody let drive?”

“Why didn’t you?” asked Shep.

“I couldn’t—–­the rocks were in the way.”

“Well, the rocks were in my way, too.”

“How can a fellow shoot at a streak of greased lightning?” asked Whopper.  “That buck was making a hundred miles a minute!”

“Well, that’s the end of that game,” muttered Snap, much crestfallen.  “Boys, it looks as if we were going to be skunked to-day.”

“Oh, we’ve got a couple of hours yet,” said the doctor’s son.  “But I guess we had better turn back toward camp.  We don’t want to miss our way in the dark.”

“Let us go on a little,” said Whopper.  “I imagine that buck got scared at something, and I’d like to know what it was.”

“Maybe a bear,” said Snap.  “And if it is, you can be sure Mr. Bruin will walk right away from us while we are thinking about a shot,” he added bitterly.  He was disgusted to think they had allowed both the rabbits and the deer to get away from them.

All of the boys were curious to know if anything had really frightened the buck, and they went forward, but this time more cautiously than ever.  Passing the cliff, they came to a hillside, overgrown with cedars and brushwood, with many loose stones between.  Here they had to progress even more slowly, for walking was treacherous and none of them had a desire to twist an ankle or break a leg.

“I don’t see a thing,” said the doctor’s son presently.  “It’s a mighty lonely place, isn’t it?”

“I fancied I saw something move, just beyond yonder clump of cedars,” said Whopper, pointing with his hand.

“Whopper is seeing things,” said Snap, laughing.  “I guess the wildcats and the deer got on his nerves.”

“Well, don’t believe me if you don’t want to,” answered Whopper rather testily.

“We’ll see if there is anything in it, anyway,” answered the doctor’s son.  “But I am not going any farther than those cedars.  I am getting tired—–­and it is high time we turned back, unless we want to remain away from camp all night.”