Page:Young Hunters of the Lake.djvu/114



"!"

"Where is he?"

"Let me get my gun!"

Such were some of the exclamations uttered after Whopper made his declaration that he had seen a bear. In the meantime the youth who loved to tell big stories had caught up his shotgun and was aiming it to the right of the watercourse, where there were several big rocks overgrown with brushwood. He took aim and blazed away. A grunt followed, and then came a thrashing in the bushes, growing fainter and fainter in the distance.

"You hit him!" ejaculated Snap.

"Yes, but he is running away for all he's worth," answered Whopper, disappointedly.

By this time every one of the young hunters had his firearm. The boat was turned to the bank of the creek, and then each youth looked at the others. Not a trace of the bear was to be seen anywhere.

"No use of going after him," said the doctor's Rh