“But to dig a pit will be lots of work,” said Whopper.  “Can’t we find some ready-made hole that will do?”

Retreating still farther, and keeping their eyes and ears wide open for the possible reappearance of the monarch of the forest, the three young hunters at length found a hole that suited them.  The bottom was filled with loose stones and decayed leaves, but these they soon cleaned out.  Then, while Whopper went off for the dead wildcats, Snap and Shep made the hole still deeper.  They removed the stones until they came to something of a small cave, and had to take care, for fear of tumbling in.

“I think that will hold the lion, if he deigns to come this way,” said the doctor’s son.

Over the top of the opening they placed some light brushwood, that would easily sink with the weight of any big beast, and in the center placed one of the dead wildcats.  The other they dragged in a circle around the hole, and then let it fall to the bottom.

“That will give the beast something to eat, in case he is captured,” said the doctor’s son.  “We don’t want him to starve on our hands.”

“I’ve got another idea,” said Snap.  “Why not fix one of the cameras so it will go off and take a picture, in case the lion touches a certain string?  Mr. Jally told me how it could be done.”

“A good idea!” cried Shep.  “We’ll do it right away.  Only we don’t want any flashlight, for that would scare the lion away.”

“No; we’ll have to run the risk of having the camera worked in the daylight.”

It was dark by the time their task was accomplished.  They knew that they could not get back to camp, yet none of them had any desire to remain in the vicinity of the lion.

“He might take it into his head to eat us up instead of the wildcats,” said Whopper earnestly.

“Right you are,” responded Shep.  “We’ll get as far away as we can.”

They tramped for at least two miles, and during that time passed a mountain brook that was strange to them.  They tried to get some fish, but were unsuccessful.

“We are skunked, and no mistake,” said Snap dolefully.  “Not even one fish or a rabbit for supper!”

“I am going to beat around the trees for something,” said the doctor’s son.  “Shoot at anything that flies.”

He walked ahead, and the others kept their guns in readiness.  But all he stirred up were a few small birds not worth laying low.

“Lucky we saved a little of the grub,” said Whopper.  “If we hadn’t we’d go to bed supperless.”

“I am going to roost in a tree to-night, to keep out of the reach of that lion,” said Snap.

All agreed that this would be a good thing to do, and after dividing what remained of the food brought along, and getting a drink at a spring, they selected a tree that suited their purpose and mounted to the thickest of the limbs.

“Not a very comfortable bed,” was Shep’s comment.  “But better than falling into that lion’s clutches.”