A SUCCESSFUL DEER HUNT While they were in the cave all thought concerning the deer had been vanished, but now they were at liberty once more the four young hunters were just as eager as ever to get a shot at the game. "We must hurry if we want to do anything," said Snap. "It is such a gloomy day that it will be dark soon and then the deer will surely give us the slip." On they went, up the mountainside, but now taking care that they should go into no more caves. Thus several hundred feet were covered. Then of a sudden, Snap held up his hand. "Hark!" All listened and heard a crashing in the brushwood. Like a flash, five deer leaped into view, rushing across a small opening. They saw the boys and were out of sight again in a twinkling, before a gun could be raised at them. "Why didn't you shoot?" cried Shep to Snap. "Why didn't you?" "I didn't have my gun ready," came from Whopper. "Neither did I," added Giant. The four young hunters gazed at each other sheepishly enough. Their long tramp had been all in vain. "We're a lot of doughheads," grumbled Shep. "Come all the way for those deer and then-----Oh, say, let's go back home!" "I wasn't thinking the deer would come this way," said Snap. "But this proves the truth of Jed Sanborn's words. He told me when I went hunting I must be ready for a shot all the time." There was an awkward silence. The boys were bitterly chagrined. "Can't we follow them up again?" asked Giant. "Not to-night," answered Whopper. "They may go several miles before they stop. They got so close to us that they were thoroughly scared. My, what an opportunity we lost for bagging at least four of them!" "We better not tell anybody of this experience," said Whopper. "If we do, everybody will have the laugh on us." It was growing dark already and they thought the best they could do would be to go down to the lake and row back to camp. During the day they had allowed some small game to pass unmolested, and this now added to their discomfiture. "I am going to stir up something before I go back," declared Whopper. "So am I," added Snap. It took the best part of an hour to get back to the lake shore, and on the way they discovered several rabbits, some squirrels, and over a dozen birds of good size. The bringing down of this game served to raise their spirits a bit, but they still felt decidedly sore whenever they thought of the deer. It was nightfall when they rowed across the lake and struck the shore in front of their camp. While Giant tied up the boat the others hurried to the cabin. "Hullo! somebody has been here!" exclaimed Snap, glancing around hastily. His words were true, as the others could readily see. All of their stores had been overhauled and some few of them taken away. On the floor lay the broken bowl of a clay pipe and near it some half-burnt tobacco.