“We’ll go into camp near here,” said the doctor’s son.  “And keep watch for the missing person, whoever he is.”

They got supper and went into camp close to the rear of the cabin.  They took turns at watching throughout the entire night, but nothing came to disturb them.  Early in the morning they visited the cabin again, but found nothing new to interest them.  Coming out, Giant started up two rabbits and quickly shot the game.

“Say, that will bring him back, if he’s in this vicinity,” cried
Snap.   “Perhaps it would have been better-----”

He stopped speaking, for as he spoke they heard another gunshot from the woods between them and the river.  Then came a call that sounded somewhat familiar.

CHAPTER XXVII

AN OLD FRIEND APPEARS

“That can’t be the wild man, can it?” queried Giant.

“No,” answered the doctor’s son.  “I think I know that voice.”

“I think it’s Jed Sanborn,” came from Snap.

They waited for a few minutes and then saw a familiar figure emerge from the woods.  It was their old hunting friend, and in his hand he carried six partridges.

“Hello, there!” he cried on coming closer.  “Thought you fellers was a-goin’ up to the Windy Mountains?”

“We’ve been up—–­have our camp there,” answered the doctor’s son.  “We came down here for a purpose.”

“Everything all right at home?” asked Giant.

“Yes.  We had a scare day before yesterday, though.  Hicks’ barn got afire, an’ folks thought the town might burn down, account o’ the wind.  But the bucket brigade an’ the engine got the fire out before anything else caught.”

“Are our folks all well?” asked Snap.

“Yes; an’ hopin’ you are the same, as they write in letters,” and the old hunter grinned.  “Had much luck shootin’ and picter-takin’?”

“We are well satisfied,” answered Shep.   “Got quite some partridge
and rabbits and some deer, and a lion-----”

“Oh, sure!  A lion!  Suppose ye got an ellerphant, and hoppo-what-you-call-’em, too?”

“We did get a lion,” said Giant.  “We’ve got him in a pit.”

“See here, son, lions don’t roam these woods, an’ never did.  You are mistook in the beast.”

“It’s the circus lion, Jed; the one that got away at Railings,” explained Snap.

“Oh!  Do ye really mean it?” And now Jed Sanborn was tremendously interested.

“Yes.  We saw him on the mountain side and found a big pit and made a trap of it with some wildcat meat, and we caught him.”

“Is he alive an’ well?”

“Yes.”

“Glory to Washington!  Do you know them circus folks has offered a reward o’ three hundred dollars fer that lion if caught alive?”

“Then the money is ours!” cried Shep.  “Hurrah, boys, that suits me down to the ground!”

“Are you sure about the reward?” asked Snap.