remarked Gif. "And it looks to me as if it might begin to snow again,"

he added, with a glance at the sky which was now heavily overcast.

But all of the others wanted a chance to get more game, so in the end the six cadets tramped around one edge of the clearing until they reached a point close to the spot where the rabbits had been seen. Here the bunnies were out in force, trying to find something to eat, and they had but little difficulty in bagging four of the creatures.

"Well, that's not so bad but what it might be worse," announced Jack.

"We should have had more than four," grumbled Randy. "There were at least fifteen or sixteen rabbits to be seen." He had missed what he had thought to be a comparatively easy shot.

"Well, we can't have everything," declared Spouter philosophically.

They trudged on once more, Gif, as before, taking the lead. But presently the tall cadet called a halt.

"What's the matter now?" questioned Randy. "See any more game ahead?"

"No." Gif was staring around first to the right and then to the left.

"Hang it if I know whether we are on the right trail or not!"

"Do you mean to say, Gif, you don't know in what direction the Lodge is located?" questioned Spouter quickly.

"I think it's off in that direction, Spouter," was the reply, and Gif pointed with his hand, "but I'm not dead sure of it. Circling that clearing threw me off the track."

"Well, were you sure of the trail before we came over here?" questioned Jack. "If you were, we can go back you know, even though it is quite a tramp."

"I thought I was sure, Jack. But now I'm not sure of anything," answered Gif helplessly. "Someway or other, I seem to be completely turned around."

"Gee! then we're in a pretty pickle," groaned Fred, who was beginning to grow tired of tramping through the snow.

"If we could only get down to the river again we'd be all right," came from Randy.

"I wonder if I could locate the Lodge from the top of one of these trees," remarked Jack. "It would be quite a climb to get such a view, but it would be better than tramping around without knowing where one was going."

"I'll do the climbing," answered Gif quickly. "I got you fellows into this mess, and it's up to me to get you out."

"Oh, don't think I'm complaining," returned Spouter quickly.

"None of us is complaining, Gif. We all know it's the easiest thing in the world to get lost in a big woods like this--especially when there is snow on the ground to cover up the landmarks."

A tall pine was selected, and the others boosted Gif upward as far as they could. Then he mounted from branch to branch, and the others waited below as patiently as possible for what he might have to report. In the meantime a few flakes of snow came drifting downward, and soon it was snowing steadily.

"Well, what can you see?" called out Jack, after those below had waited quite a while for their chum to make a report.

"I can't see very much on account of the snow coming down," announced Gif. "I can see the edge of a clearing that might be the one where Cedar Lodge is located, but I am not certain of it."

"Well, take another good look," advised Spouter. "Wish we had field gla.s.ses," he added.

It was a full fifteen minutes before Gif rejoined the others. He had located but one place that looked like the clearing surrounding the Lodge, but, as he had said before, he was by no means certain that this was the right location.

"Well, we might as well try it anyway," announced Jack. "We can't stay here all night."

[Ill.u.s.tration: BANG! BANG! BANG! WENT THE GUNS IN THE HANDS OF GIF, RANDY, AND SPOUTER.]

"It's too bad it began to snow so heavily just as I was climbing the tree," remarked Gif. "If it hadn't been for that I might have gotten quite a view and maybe located the bungalow without difficulty. However, this may prove to be the right trail after all. Come on, before it gets dark."

"Wish I had something more to eat," remarked Andy. The few sandwiches and doughnuts they had brought along had long since been eaten.

As they walked on the way seemed to grow more difficult. They soon found themselves at a point where there were a series of rocks backed up by low-hanging bushes thickly covered with snow. There was no wind, but the snow was now coming down more thickly than ever.

"Gee! it looks to me as if we were lost," remarked Fred.

All gazed around them, but saw little to give them satisfaction. Behind them lay the thick forest, and in front of them the rocks and bushes. It was now growing dark, and this added to their uneasiness.

"Well, what shall we do next?" questioned Gif.

n.o.body answered that question. They were undoubtedly lost, and what was to be done about it was a serious problem.

CHAPTER XXI

A NIGHT UNDER THE CLIFF

"One thing is sure," said Jack presently. "We can't stand out here in this snowstorm all night."

"Let's go on at least a short distance further," broke in Spouter.

"Maybe we'll come to some sort of trail that Gif will recognize," put in Randy.

"I'm getting dead tired. I can't tramp more than a mile or two further,"

said Fred.

"I don't believe any of us care to go any such distance as that, Fred,"

returned Jack kindly. "Here, give me your gun. I'll carry it for you,"

for it was plainly to be seen the youngest Rover was becoming exhausted.

All were tired out from their skate and their tramp, and climbing among the rough rocks covered with snow was by no means easy.

Soon they reached another line of rocks, this time much higher than those they had been crossing. At one end of the rocks was a small cliff.

At the top of this several cedars had once stood, but the winds of the winter before had blown them over, so that, while the roots were still imbedded in the cliff, the tops rested in the snow below.

"Great salt mackerel!" cried Gif in dismay. "Well, now I have spilled the beans!"

"What's up now?" questioned Randy quickly.

"I heard my uncle tell about this place. He visited it just after those trees fell over. He said the spot was about three miles from the Lodge."

At this there was a groan from the twins and Fred.