Guns and Snowshoes | Page 8

concerning the
examinations to come off before the term closed. They studied hard,
and came out with an average of eight-eight to ninety-four per cent.
"Good!" said Snap. "Our folks can't find fault with such records." And
nobody did find fault. On the contrary, the boys received not a little
praise, and permission to go on the winter outing was readily granted.
"Let us start next Monday," said Giant, who was impatient to get away.
"I doubt if we can get ready so quickly," answered Shep. "There is a
good deal to do, you know."
"Then make it Tuesday," pleaded Giant.
"The ice on the river is perfect, so it will be the easiest thing in the
world to skate to the lake and drag our sleds after us."
It had already been decided that they should go into camp at Firefly
Lake, where they had left their summer shelter only a few months
before. Firefly Lake was a beautiful sheet of water, or ice, located a
mile from Lake Cameron, and about eleven miles from Fairview. To
get to this spot they had to go to Lake Cameron first and then along a
narrow watercourse which united the two sheets of water.
The news quickly spread through the town that the Gun Club was going
away on another outing, and many envied our friends their coming
pleasures. Ham Spink and Carl Rudder looked sour over the prospects.
"Where are they going?" asked Carl.

"To Firefly Lake, to their old camp."
After this announcement both boys looked at each other suggestively.
"It will be moonlight to-night, and we can easily skate twenty or
twenty-five miles," suggested Ham.
"So we can, Ham. Let us do it, and--fix things."
"We will," said Ham firmly.
As soon as it was settled that our friends were to go away before
Christmas, and remain away over the holidays, they received from their
parents several gifts in advance. All obtained snowshoes--picked out
for them by their old hunter friend, Jed Sanborn--and they also
procured an extra gun, an extra sled, and some warm camp blankets.
They still possessed their old camp outfit and so it was an easy matter
to gather the things together and get everything ready for the start. The
outfit was packed upon two good-sized sleds and well fastened.
"I suppose we ought to have skated up to the camp and inspected
things," observed Snap. "But I have been too busy to do so."
"Oh, I reckon everything is as we left it," answered Whopper.
"The camp was all right two weeks ago," said Jed Sanborn, who
chanced to be present. "Of course you'll have to fix up some kind of a
chimney in the cabin, for you can't keep your fire outdoors in this
weather."
"It's as much fun to fix up the cabin as it is to camp out," said Shep, and
the others agreed with him.
On Monday afternoon the boys got their things together and stored
them in an old boathouse on the river front. They had looked to their
skates and each pair had been sharpened and put in first class condition.
"We may use our skates as much as the snowshoes," said Whopper.

With everything stored in the old boathouse the door was carefully
locked by Shep, who put the key in his pocket. The old boathouse had
two windows, but each of these was nailed shut.
"I don't believe anybody will get in there," observed the doctor's son.
"Oh, I don't think there are any thieves around," answered Whopper.
The evening was devoted to final preparations, and it was after ten
o'clock before any of the boys thought of retiring. Snap was over to
Shep's house, and the doctor's son saw his friend to the front door.
"Now remember, seven o'clock sharp," said Shep. "We want to get
away as early as possible, so we'll have plenty of time to fix up the
cabin when we get there."
"Oh, I'll be up early enough," said Snap, with a smile. "Fact of it is, I
am so worked up I don't expect to do much sleeping."
After a few words more the boys separated, and Snap started to walk
home. He had almost reached his gate when something prompted him
to halt. He looked down the roadway in the direction of the old
boathouse.
"I have half a mind to go down and see if everything is O. K.," he
murmured to himself.
Then he thought it would be foolish, and started to enter the house. But
he was undecided, and at last hurried down the roadway in the direction
of the river.
He was still some distance from the old boathouse when he discovered
two persons running across an open field which lined the roadway. He
could not