“This is better luck than I anticipated,” said Giant.  “Now we must clean the guns without delay.”

The entire evening was spent in overhauling and oiling the guns, and in drying out the gamebags.  They also dressed one of the deer, hanging up the meat as before.  The Spink crowd had taken the smallest of the game and for this they were to pay regular market prices.

When Snap and the others got back they brought with them a whole boat-load of provisions and other things, and were followed by Jed Sanborn in his canoe.  The hunter had agreed to take the deer to Fairview for them.  He was joyful to think they had had such luck.

“Don’t need me to show ye how to bring down deer,” he observed, with a grin on his homely face.  “You have done prime, boys, prime, an’ I’m proud of ye!”

A portion of the provisions was left at the camp and then Ham Spink and his crony crossed the lake, while Jed Sanborn remained with Snap and the others.

“Had to buy a deer from ye, did they?” chuckled Jed Sanborn, when Spink and Dudder were out of hearing.  “They won’t never make no hunters, not if they try a hundred years.  I’d starve to death afore I’d buy meat here, with the woods so full o’ things to shoot!”

“I laid down the law good and hard,” said Snap.  “I don’t think they will give us any more trouble.”

“I think Dudder is rather ashamed of himself,” said Whopper.  “But Ham Spink is so thick-skinned it doesn’t strike through.”

“What did they do to the negro?” asked Giant.

“Locked him up for trial.”

“Did Pop Lundy get his watch back?” asked Shep.

“Yes, after a little trouble.  The pawnbroker was awfully mad.  He wants to send the colored fellow to jail, too.”

Snap and Whopper were glad to learn that the outfit had been recovered and they had Jed Sanborn look at the guns to make certain that all were fit to use.

“Didn’t hurt ’em a mite,” said the old hunter.  “But they couldn’t have stayed in the water much longer.”

“It was lucky the boat went over where the water was shallow,” said Giant.  “Had the water been deep perhaps we shouldn’t have gotten back a thing.”

After the old hunter had departed with the deer, the boys set to work in earnest to fix up their camp once more.  Some of the things had been spoiled by the heavy storm, but Ham Spink had “made good,” as Snap said, so nothing was really lost, so far as the young hunters were concerned.

After several days of rest the boys felt once more in proper trim for sport, and went out after a bunch of rabbits and squirrels.  They were fairly lucky, and three o’clock of the afternoon found them on the return to the camp.

“Let us look for some nuts,” suggested Whopper.

The others were willing, and made their way to a group of trees growing some distance up the lake shore.  Nuts were to be had in plenty, and soon they had their pockets and the corners of their game-bags well filled.