"Some poor, simple-minded fellow," suggested Dr. Bentley. "Probably one whose mild mania leads him to prefer to live in the woods, a regular hermit. My dears, I'm surprised that any of you should be so easily startled and make such noisy testimony to your alarm." "I'm indignant with myself now---when there are men standing by," laughed Belle. "But I wish you had seen that man's strange face, Doctor." "I would like to see it, and punch it, too!" muttered Dave. "Not a bit of it!" objected Dr. Bentley heartily. "No doubt the poor fellow is sadly afflicted mentally. He's what the Arabs call a 'simple,' and the Arabs have a beautiful faith that all 'simples' are under the direct protection of Allah. So, woe to him who offends one of Allah's 'simples.'" "How do you boys come to be here?" asked Laura. "I might ask the same question of your party," smiled Dick. "As for us, we are away on a vacation fishing and camping trip." "I knew you were going away," said Dr. Bentley, "but I didn't know just where. We are touring again, in my seven-passenger car. We are headed for the St. Clair Lake House, eight miles below here. But the roads are so bad that the chauffeur said it would take us more than an hour to get through. So I proposed to Mrs. Bentley and the girls that we leave the car at the road and cross over here to have our luncheon on the shore of this second lake. I have been here before, and remember it as a beautiful spot. Mrs. Bentley and the girls started on ahead, and I brought up the rear with the baskets of food. But they got further ahead of me than I thought. Now I must go back after the baskets, which I set down before I started to run here. Greg, will you go back with me and help me bring the baskets?" Greg at once accompanied the physician. When they came to the spot, however, they found but one basket, and that nearly empty. The second basket had disappeared altogether. "Fine!" grunted Dr. Bentley. "Greg, our committee of two must go back and report the disquieting news." "Not so very disquieting, sir," smiled young Holmes. "We have a camp full of food to offer you." That invitation Dick and Dave very quickly seconded when the doctor rejoined the party. "Especially if you can eat trout, sir," Dick went on. "Don't! Don't be cruel!" remonstrated Dr. Bentley. "I used to eat trout when I was a boy, but they are now an extinct fish." "Are they, sir?" inquired Dick, unwrapping a paper from around part of the morning's heavy catch, while Dave exhibited the contents of a similar bundle. Dr. Bentley rubbed his eyes. "Bless me, these are a fine imitation of brook trout as I recall them," he murmured. "What did you mean by saying that trout were an extinct fish?" asked Laura. "They're extinct for all but the wealthy," replied the physician. "Brook trout, in these days, generally cost all of a dollar and a half a pound, and I've heard of as high as two dollars a pound being paid for them."