“A joke?  Well, I reckon not!” spluttered Whopper.  “Ugh!  It makes me shiver to think about it.”

“Let us get out of here,” came from Snap.  “Remember, where there is one snake there may be more.”

“Then I am going to quit right now!” cried Shep, and lost no time in leaving the neighborhood, followed by the others.

The boys concluded that they had had adventures enough for one day and went back to camp.  Here two of the lads set to work to make a rabbit pot-pie, with dumplings.  They had seen such things made at home and went at the task with care.  When the pot-pie was served all declared it “the best ever.”  Perhaps the dumplings were a trifle heavy, but what of that?  Living in the open air had sharpened their appetites wonderfully and nobody was disposed to quarrel over the meal.

The next day was rather cold and misty and they kept in or near the cabin.  Snap had brought some extra sugar and also some chocolate along, and the morning was devoted to candy-making, some with nuts and some without.  The candy was very good, and while they ate a fair share, the rest was put away, to be eaten a little at a time.

So far, since leaving their first camp, they had not seen or heard of Andrew Felps, but that afternoon an old hunter strolled into their locality and asked if they could furnish him with a meal and a shakedown until morning, offering three rabbits in payment.

“I think we can accommodate you,” said Snap.  “And you can keep your rabbits.”

The face of the old hunter looked familiar, and while he was eating, it came out that his name was Jack Dalton and that he had been one of the two guides who had come up to Lake Cameron with the Felps party.

“I got sick of working for that crowd,” said jack Dalton.  “They wanted to make a regular nigger of me and I up and told Felps I wouldn’t stand for it.”

“Is the other guide with them?” asked Shep.

“Humph!  Dad Begow ain’t no reg’lar guide—–­he’s only a camp follower—–­dish-washer, an’ like that.  He pertends to be a guide, but he ain’t no good at shootin’.  Yes, he’s with ’em, but he only stayed because they raised his wages.  They wanted to raise mine when they saw I was really goin’, but I told ’em money wasn’t everything.”

“I don’t wonder that you got sick of Andrew Felps,” put in Giant.  “You know how he treated is.”

“It was dirt mean, lad, an’ I about told him so, too.  But the Felpses always was a hard crowd to deal with.  He thought he was gettin’ one in on Mr. Dodge when he fired you out.”

“I thought as much,” said Snap.  “He is very bitter against my father.”

“It is because of the lumber business—–­he wanted the tract of lumber to cut that the Barnaby Company got hold of,” went on Jack Dalton.  “How are you a-makin’ it?”

“Fine!” said Snap, and then he and his chums told of all the game that had been brought down—–­they having kept a record in a little book the leader of the gun club carried.