"Perhaps so. Let's go anyway; we can come back here after luncheon."

"That bear might have the same idea."

"That's true too," admitted George. "We can bring Fred and Grant along with us if they want to come."

The two boys made their way back through the forest towards the lake.

Knowing that there were such things as bears in the neighborhood they kept a sharp watch all about them. If they had only realized it, no bear was half as anxious to meet them as they were to meet a bear. Wild animals seldom if ever seek trouble of their own accord.

A few moments later George and John emerged from the woods and caught sight of the fire and their two companions.

"Hey, you two!" called Fred. "Where have you been?"

"Are we late?" asked John.

"I should say you were. Grant and I were just about to eat up all the food and not save any for you at all."

"Thank goodness you didn't," exclaimed George, fervently.

"Did you find any berries?" demanded Grant.

"Lots of them. A good many of them are still on the bushes."

"Didn't you bring any back?"

"Not a single one."

"What do you think of that, Fred?" demanded Grant. "These fellows go back in the woods and stuff themselves with a lot of berries and don't even bring one back to the two who are working hard to prepare food for them."

"We didn't eat any ourselves."

"You didn't?" exclaimed Grant. "What was the matter with them; weren't they good?"

"I guess they were," said John. "We didn't try any though."

"What's the matter?" inquired Fred. "What are you two trying to say anyway? You found a lot of berries but you didn't bring any back and you didn't eat any yourself. What's the reason you didn't?"

"Somebody was there ahead of us," said George.

"The owner you mean?" asked Grant. "Wouldn't he give you any?"

"It wasn't the owner," said George. "It was somebody else."

"I wish you'd stop talking in riddles," exclaimed Grant impatiently.

"Why don't you tell us what happened!"

"There was a bear there," said John. "He liked berries too."

"A bear!" cried Grant and Fred in one breath. "What do you mean?"

"There was a big black bear eating the blueberries," said George, "so we just decided we didn't care very much for berries ourselves."

"Tell us about it," demanded Grant eagerly.

"I can't talk unless I have something to eat first," replied George firmly.

"Nor I," agreed John.

"Come and eat then," laughed Fred. "We too have got something to tell you two when you've finished."

CHAPTER VIII-A PREDICAMENT

While all four boys were doing full justice to the meal which Grant had prepared, George and John related the story of their meeting with the bear.

"And now," exclaimed John when he had finished, "you tell us what you have to say. Fred said there was something."

"We had an idea while you were gone, that's all," said Grant.

"Tell us what it was."

"Go ahead, Fred."

"No, you tell them," urged Fred.

"Well," said Grant, "it was only this. Fred and I were talking things over and we thought it might be good fun if we took the two canoes and went off on a little trip for a couple of days. What do you think about it?"

"I think it would be great," exclaimed John heartily. "How about you, Pop?"

"It suits me first rate," said George eagerly. "Why can't we start to-night?"

"That's a little soon I should think," laughed Grant. "We can go to-morrow though if you say so."

"We can get some good trout fishing up these streams, you know," said Fred. "I want to get that big trout."

"If there's any big trout caught I expect to be the one to do it," said George very pompously.

"Huh," snorted Fred disgustedly, "you couldn't catch cold."

"You just wait and see," muttered George under his breath.

"Do you know anything about trout fishing?" insisted Fred.

"I never did any in my life."

"And you expect to catch a big trout?" said Fred derisively. "Why, Pop, you're sort of out of your head, aren't you?"