Four Boy Hunters Part 17

"Maybe he is trying to bring in an extra lot of game."

"I didn't hear him doing any shooting," answered Snap.

However, he was not much disturbed, and the boys sat around the camp for an hour, waiting for Shep to return. Then they prepared dinner, and while eating talked about the sports still to come.

"I tell you, I don't much like this," said Snap, at last. "I wish Shep was back in camp."

"Do you think anything has really happened to him?" questioned Giant, quickly.

"I don't know what to think."

"Let us fire a signal."

This suggestion from Whopper met with approval, and they fired a signal long before agreed upon---two shots in rapid succession. They waited impatiently, but no answering shots came back.

"Let us go out and look for him," said Giant. "Perhaps he has fallen into a hole and broken a leg, or something like that."

"Oh, there are lots of things could happen to a fellow out here,"

answered Whopper. "But I thought we could trust Shep to take care of himself."

They waited a while longer, and then, putting the camp in order, set out on the hunt for the missing member of the gun club.

It was an easy matter to reach the spot where Snap and Shep had separated. Then they took to the trail Shep had followed, until they came to a bit of a clearing.

"Oh my! look there!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Giant, suddenly. "Come back of the bushes, quick, before they see you!"

Having hauled his companions behind the bushes, he pointed to a spot beyond one end of the lake.

"I don't see anything," said Snap.

"I do!" cried Whopper. "Some deer!"

"Yes, three or four of 'em!" cried the little hunter. "Oh, if we could only get at 'em!"

"I think I understand now," came from Snap. "Shep must have gone after those deer."

"Like as not---and he didn't answer our signal for fear of scaring them," answered Giant.

The sight of deer filled the three young hunters with enthusiasm, and for the moment they gave up the idea of finding Shep. Snap thought he saw a path leading around the lake end, and proposed they go after the game without delay.

"It's our first chance at deer, and it may be our last," he said.

"Even if Shep did go after them we may as well do our share toward bringing some of 'em down."

The others were willing enough to go after the deer, and away they went, pus.h.i.+ng through the brushwood and over the rocks, in an endeavor to get around the end of the lake which, at this locality, formed a long V-shape, each side overhung with trees and bushes.

They were making good progress, and Whopper was in advance, when the young hunter let out a cry of alarm:

"A snake! A rattlesnake!"

He was right, the rattlesnake was there, and in order to get out of the way of the reptile they rushed pell-mell into the woods until they suddenly found themselves in a swamp over their ankles.

They kept on until they reached higher ground and then paused in the midst of some tall brushwood.

"That was certainly a scare!" gasped Giant. "I don't want any rattlesnakes in mine!"

"Nor I," put in Whopper. "Gos.h.!.+ He was about a hundred feet long!

And did you see the eyes? Regular electric eyes!"

"Phew! It takes Whopper to tell the plain truth," said Snap, with a grin. "But he was bad enough, I admit," he continued. "If he hadn't been I shouldn't have legged it as I did."

"Don't forget that we are out after the deer," said Giant, after the excitement had somewhat died away. "What direction is the game, anyway?"

They looked around them and then for the first time noticed that they were surrounded by tall trees, which all but shut out the sunlight. Then the sun went under a cloud, making it quite dark.

"Come on, this is the way," said Whopper, and the others followed him without question, but they seemed to get deeper and deeper into the forest, and at last came to a halt close to the base of a series of big rocks.

"I think we have missed it," said Snap, gazing around sharply.

"Missed it?" queried Giant. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we are not getting around the end of the lake at all."

"Do you think we are lost?"

At this the leader of the gun club shrugged his shoulders.

"You can put it that way if you wish, Giant."

"Oh, dear! I don't want to be lost!"

"Oh, we are not lost!" put in Whopper, briskly. "Come on."

"Do you want to climb over the rocks, Whopper?" asked Snap.

"No; let us go around them."

They attempted to do this, only to find themselves caught in a tangle of undergrowth from which it was almost impossible to extricate themselves. Then they came out at a point that was all but surrounded by big rocks. It was now so dark they could scarcely see in any direction.

"We may as well face the truth, fellows," said Snap. "We are lost."

"Lost!" came from both of the others.

"Yes, lost. And how we are to get out of the mess I don't know."

"Well, this is the worst yet!" came with a groan from Whopper. "We start out to find Shep and end up by getting lost. If he is back in camp he will have the laugh on us."

"This means good-by to the deer," said Giant. "But I don't care---if only we get back to camp in safety."

"Let us climb a tree and look around," suggested Snap.