"Oh, for something to eat!" cried Will. "Same here," replied Jed. "But, listen! What's that?" "Sounds like water running. Queer we didn't hear it before." "We were too excited, I guess. There must be a stream around here, and maybe there are fish in it." They found just below where they had spent the night a swift mountain stream foaming along over a rocky bed. Jed and Will had not gotten over the habit, formed while on the farm, of carrying hooks and lines in their pockets. It was short work to cut poles, adjust their tackle, and, with bait of worms, dug with their pocket knives, they were soon casting in. The fish of that stream must have been very hungry, for they took the bait at once, and soon the lads had several beauties. These they cleaned, and broiled by holding them in front of the fire on sharp sticks. "They'd be better if we had salt," said Will. "Use gunpowder," suggested Jed, and they did not find it a bad substitute, when they had taken some of the black grains from a cartridge, for salt-peter is the principal ingredient of some powders, and it is very salty. "Now suppose we get back to camp," suggested Will, after their simple breakfast. "I suppose Gabe is back by this time, thinking how foolish we were to disobey him." "Well, we did it for the best," said Jed. "He can't blame us." "Of course not. Do you think we can find the way back?" Jed did not answer. He was looking about him. They were on a totally unfamiliar trail, and he did not know which way to go. He admitted as much to his brother. "But we came up the mountain," said Will, "and naturally, to get to camp we ought to go down. That's easy." "Yes, it's easy enough to go down the slope, but where will we come out? I'm in favor of going up." "What for?" "Well, the higher we go the better view we'll have. Then we can size up the country, and decide which way we'd better travel. No use simply going down, for we may come out miles and miles from our camp." Will agreed in this view, and the boys started up the trail again. But luck was against them. They did not know it, but they were on one of the wildest mountain ranges in that section of the country. Many travelers had been lost on it, for the trails, made by wild animals, were confusing, and there were a number of them. "We don't seem to be getting anywhere," said Will, at length. "That's so," admitted Jed. "I'm hungry; aren't you? Those fish weren't very filling." "No, indeed, but I don't see how we're going to get anything to eat." For several hours more the boys wandered on. They were tired, and their stomachs craved more food. They saw no game, or they might have provided themselves with food, and they came across no more streams from whence they could take fish. They were in a sad plight, for night was coming on, and they were farther than ever from camp--lost in the mountains.