"you think we had better stop and see if we can catch any more fish before we go ashore?" asked rand, when the dart had gone.

"why," asked jack, "there's enough, ain't there?"

"there was," allowed rand, "but it is a good deal later now."

"i think we had better go on," said jack laughingly. "there is a good place i can see. that strip of beach over there is a natural landing place."

"and a green spot back of it that would make a dandy place for a camp," added pepper.

"i wish we could come up here and camp," said jack. "wouldn't it be fine?"

"i s-s-say!" cried pepper.

"well, s-say it," said donald.

"let's organize a patrol and come up here and camp out."

"you hit the bullseye that time, pepper," cried jack enthusiastically.

"'twould no be a bad idea," admitted don.

"ah done reckon dat am a fac', for shuah," drawled rand in the negro dialect, of which he was master.

"we will get colonel snow to start us," added jack.

"agreed!" cried the others.

"and we will see him just as soon as we go back."

"and start the thing right away."

talking enthusiastically over their plans, the boys pulled the boat in to the shore.

"see that curious-looking house up there," broke in don. "i didn't know there was anybody living up here."

"house! where?" asked rand.

"there, among the trees. it is covered with bark so you would hardly notice it."

"oh, yes, looks like a big tree," said jack. "must be a hermit."

"but i thought hermits always lived in caves," demurred pepper.

"well, here is one that doesn't," replied jack.

"let's go and see him," suggested rand.

"i don't think we had better," doubted pepper. "if he's a hermit he doesn't want visitors, and maybe he is an outlaw."

"an outlaw," laughed jack. "what have you been reading lately?"

"why, there ain't 'no sich things,' at least around here," added rand.

"well," persisted pepper, "there's no use rushing into things you don't know anything about, and besides we want something to eat first."

"pepper wants to make sure of his dinner, whatever happens," said rand.

"somebody else thinks the same way, too, from the smoke up there."

"smoke, where?" asked donald.

"up there on the top of the mountain," replied rand. "see that haze floating away."

"i thought that was a cloud," said jack. "i wonder what it means?"

"that some hunters are making a fire to cook with," volunteered donald.

"of course that is it," agreed rand. "you can always depend upon old solomon to knock the romance out of anything."

"well, i don't know," continued jack. "it looks queer to me."

"oh, everything looks queer to you," argued donald. "you are always seeing mysteries."

"yes," retorted jack, "and you can't see them until they come up to you and hit you over the head. i've got more than half a notion to go there and see what it is. any of you want to go?"

"not i," replied rand. "it's a good two miles up there, if it is one, and my curiosity isn't strong enough to carry me that far."

"nor i," added donald. "i can find all the trouble i want without going to the top of the mountain hunting for more."

"trouble," said jack. "now, who said anything about trouble?"

by this time they had reached the shore and, jumping out of the boat, dragged it up on the beach.

"now," called rand, when they had landed, "who wants to be cook? don't all speak at once."

"i'll do it," volunteered jack, "but--"

"say no more," interjected rand, "we couldn't do worse and don is almost as bad. i reckon, pepper, it must be you or i."

"if we don't want to starve," agreed the boy.

"if you and jack will clean the fish and don will bring the water and wash the dishes i'll do the cooking," went on rand. "is that fair?"

"that's fair, all right," agreed the others.

"all right, then," ordered rand, "get busy."

while jack and pepper were getting the fish ready, rand brought the stove from the boat, set it up and had it burning, and the pan hot by the time pepper came with the first installment of fish.

"gee! that smells good," called jack a little later when the frying fish, under rand's skillful manipulation, began to send forth savory odors. "you can sure cook, rand."

"ah done reckon dat am a fac', foh shuah," said rand.

"hurry up, rand," broke in pepper. "i can't wait much longer."

"all ready, sah," called rand. "dem fishes am prognosticated to ah turn."

something passing on the river attracted attention, and the boys all walked a few paces toward the water.

at this instant, as their backs were turned, a boy ran swiftly from a nearby clump of bushes, snatched the pan from the stove, overturning the latter as he did so, and silently dashed back into the woods.

it was done so quickly and adroitly that pepper, who was the first to catch sight of him, had scarcely time to shout:

"there goes monkey rae, and he has got our fish."

"what is it?" asked rand in bewilderment.

"monkey rae," cried pepper; "he's stolen our fish! come on, boys. after him!"

"well, of all things!" exclaimed rand, "that takes the cake."

"i t-t-think it takes t-t-the fish," amended pepper, as he dashed away.

the boys set out at once in pursuit of the thief, but he had too long a start, and perhaps, some knowledge of the locality, and after a vain hunt they straggled back to the boat without having found any trace of him.

"well, that's the meanest thing yet," grumbled pepper, looking at the overturned stove. "the oil has all run out and we can't cook any more," he went on, with so gloomy an expression that, in spite of their anger against monkey rae, the others could not help laughing.