"Well, we---er---we took a little meat and had some dinner while we were over there."

After that the two dudish boys confessed what had been done, laying the greater part of the blame on the others of their party. Snap and his chums were rightly indignant.

"We ought to duck you in the lake and then have you locked up,"

said Snap. "It is what you deserve."

"No, no!" came with a shiver from d.i.c.k Bush. "Let us off, and I'll pay my share of the damage done."

"It isn't a question of money," said Shep. "It's your utter meanness."

The wind was now blowing so violently that the boys began to grow alarmed, and after a brief talk, Snap and his chums decided to follow Bush and Dodder to their camp, taking their guns with them.

The deer were hung up in some trees, out of the reach of other animals.

The coming of Snap and his friends to the rival camp produced another stormy scene, and for awhile it looked as if there would be an open fight. The young hunters "laid down the law" good and hard, and Ham Spink and his crowd were much alarmed in consequence.

"You had no right to touch our things, and I could have you arrested for it," said Snap. "Now our boat is gone, I am going to claim yours until we get ours back."

"That ain't fair!" cried Ham Spink.

"It has got to be fair," answered Snap, stubbornly.

"Most of our stores are gone, too," growled the dudish youth.

"That isn't our fault."

"Will you---er---will you sell us one of your deer?" faltered another of the crowd.

"If you absolutely need it, yes; otherwise, no," said Shep.

"Yes, we need it. We are almost cleaned out of everything."

"One of you has got to go with us," said Snap, a moment later.

"What for?"

"To show us where our things are."

"We'll tell you where they are," said several. They were afraid to cross the lake in such a wind.

The secret was revealed, and a few minutes later Snap and his chums started for the boat, which was close at hand.

"You can have this boat as soon as the wind lets up," said Giant.

"And what of the deer?"

"You can take the smallest," said Snap. "But mind, don't touch the others, or it will be the worse for you!" he added, sternly.

It was dark and blowing a full gale when the four young hunters embarked. They realized that the journey to their camp would be a perilous one, and wished that the other crowd was more friendly, so that they could remain with them all night. But they had not been asked to stay and were too proud to mention it.

"Phew! but this is a sockdollager!" was Whopper's comment. "Blowing about two thousand miles an hour, I guess. I hope it doesn't send us to the bottom."

"Don't be so cheerful," said Shep. "Boys, we have got to do some nice work with the oars, or else ship a lot of water," he added, gazing out on the black and angry lake.

"Well, come on," said Giant. "The sooner we get at it the sooner we'll be on the other side."

All took their places at the oars, and a few strokes sufficed to send them well out into Firefly Lake. Here they felt the full force of the breeze, and in a twinkling Shep's cap was blown from his head.

"My cap!"

"Here it is," answered Snap, pa.s.sing it over. "Say, boys, this is a corker sure! Can anybody see ahead?"

"I can see a little," said Whopper. "But not a great deal."

They rowed on, bending low to escape the fury of the wind. The rowboat rocked violently, and every time she went down some water came in over the gunwale.

"Let us move down the lake," suggested Shep. "We can't go straight across. We can come up again on the other sh.o.r.e---if the wind will let us."

Presently they reckoned that they had reached the middle of the lake and here all was very dark. They ceased rowing in order to get their bearings.

"I am a little twisted," said Snap. "Can we be in the vicinity of Humpback Rock?"

"Perhaps we are," answered one of the others.

Again they took up the oars. The wind tore along at a frightful rate of speed and the water was a ma.s.s of whitecaps.

"I think-----" began Giant, when there came a sudden thump. The rowboat had struck the ma.s.s of rocks just mentioned, lying near the center of the lake. The craft tipped over and into the lake went the four young hunters, with a loud splash.

As Snap went down he felt Shep on top of him. Then they clasped hands and came to the surface. Not far away was the upturned rowboat.

"Shep, are you all right?"

"I---I guess so," was the chattering reply. "Oh, but it's cold!"

A moment later Giant loomed up in the darkness, and all three of the boys took hold of the overturned boat.

"Where is Whopper?" asked Shep.

"I don't know," answered the smallest of the young hunters. "What a happening!"

"We must find Whopper!" cried Snap. "h.e.l.lo, Whopper!" he called, as loudly as he could.

A distant cry came back. Then those on the boat continued to call and soon they made out their chum, swimming desperately some yards away.

"Come this way," said Shep.

"I---I-----can't swim! I've got---a---a chill!" was the despairing answer.

Hearing this, both Snap and Shep lost not a moment in going to Whopper's a.s.sistance. He was on the point of going down when they caught hold of him and brought him over to the rowboat.