“I’ve got the documents he took, and three hundred dollars of the money,” said Snap.

“Well! well!  This is famous, boys!” said Mr. Dodge.

“My sakes alive, look at the bears!” called out Jed Sanborn, as Giant pulled aside the canvas that lay over the game.  “Who shot ’em?”

“We shot one and caught the other in the trap,” answered Giant.  “Don’t you think we did pretty well for boys?”

“Well for boys?  Why, men couldn’t do any better.  You’re the best boy hunters anywhere!”

The prisoner was transferred to the boat containing Mr. Dodge and Jed Sanborn, and Snap gave to his parent the money and the documents that had been recovered.  Then both boats headed for Fairview, which was reached at nightfall.

Great was the surprise of the town folks when it was learned that the man who had set fire to the sawmill had been captured.  He was put in jail, and later on tried and sent to prison for a term of years.

There was another surprise when it was noised about that the boy hunters had laid low not only several deer and a good deal of small game, but also two fair-sized bears.  The bears were placed on public exhibition at one of the stores and many came to look at them.

Ham Spink and his cronies were intensely jealous, but did not dare to give vent to their feelings.  Snap and his chums took no notice of the dudish youth and his followers.

“We have the best of it, and they know it,” said Snap.

“Boys, we must go out again, this winter,” said Shep.  “Come, what do you say?”

All agreed instantly, and how they went out, and what good times they had will be told in another volume of this series, to be called, “Guns and Snowshoes; or, The Winter Outing of the Boy Hunters.”  The best hunting is often to be had when there is snow on the ground, and my readers can rest assured that the four boy hunters made the most of their opportunities.

A while after the boys got home, it was learned that Andrew Felps had escaped with his party, unharmed, but all had lost practically everything they had taken along but the launch.  The forest had been much damaged, especially that tract which the Felps Lumber Company had purchased for cutting purposes, so the lumber merchant was out in more ways than one.  Nothing was said to him about the talk he had had with Lusher Barrock, and he himself was afraid to open his mouth about it, and soon the incident was practically forgotten.  The Barnaby Company went to work at the Spur Road tract and nobody attempted to stop them.

“Boys, we had a dandy time, didn’t we?” said Snap, one evening after he had had his fill of venison steak.

“We had the best time ever!” said Shep.  “May we have many more like it!”

“Just wait till this winter!” cried Whopper.

“I am going to kill sixteen deer, twenty bears, two hundred wild
turkeys, and about a thousand rab-----”

“Draw it mild, Whopper!” ejaculated Giant.  “Wait till the time comes, and then do your best.”