"I shall not blame you for watching them, Rover. After what happened to you and your Cousin Fred, it is no more than right that you should be on your guard. Yet, I trust that you will give Brown and Martell a chance to prove themselves, provided they really do want to turn over a new leaf and make amends for what has happened."

"Oh, we'll give them plenty of chances to make good if it is in them; won't we?" and Jack turned to his cousins.

"Sure!" came in a chorus.

"Then that is settled, and I am glad of it. Now you have my permission to go on your hunting trip, and I trust you will bring down all the small game you desire. But, as I said before, be very careful. So far, I have allowed all of my pupils to go out hunting whenever they have so desired, and without any accidents happening. I don't want to break that record." And with these words the master of the Hall dismissed them.

This conversation took place on Thursday evening, and all day Friday the boys were anxiously looking forward to the proposed outing and wondering what the weather would prove to be. They obtained permission to take two small rifles and two double-barreled shotguns belonging to the inst.i.tution, and these they cleaned and oiled so that they would be in prime condition.

Sat.u.r.day morning dawned bright and clear, and the four Rovers obtained their breakfast as early as the rules of the school permitted. Then, with game bags and guns slung over their shoulders, they set out on their skates up the lake sh.o.r.e and then along the Rick Rack River, the wind of the day previous having cleared large portions of the ice of snow.

"Come on, let's have a race!" cried Andy gleefully. Had he not been on his skates he would have attempted a handspring in the exuberance of his spirits.

"No racing to-day!" warned Jack. "You save your breath, Andy. We expect to skate and tramp a good many miles to-day before we get back to the school."

"All right, just as you say," answered his cousin, and then he began some horseplay with Fred, which came to a sudden end when the youngest Rover tripped him up and sent him plunging into a s...o...b..nk on the side of the narrow stream.

"Now let up, I tell you!" warned Jack. "You never want to try any horseplay when you are tramping or skating along with a loaded gun.

It's too dangerous. Remember what Colonel Colby said," and then Andy sobered down a little.

All too soon for the boys, the skating on the river came to an end.

Beyond, the stream was little better than a rocky watercourse, now thickly covered with ice and snow.

"Why can't we leave our skates here until we come back?" suggested Randy.

"We could if we were sure we were going to return this way," answered Jack. "But we had better take them along, for we may return to the Hall by an entirely different route. We'll place our skates in our game bags for the present;" and this advice was followed.

After this the Rover boys trudged along through the woods bordering the stream. Soon they came upon some rabbit tracks, and less than a minute later Jack suddenly raised his double-barreled shotgun and blazed away.

"Hurrah! you've got him!" cried Fred, and all of the boys rushed forward to where the game lay--a big, fat rabbit.

"Say, Jack, you're the lucky one!" cried Andy. "Now you know what you promised?" he added.

"All right--it's your turn now to have the shotgun," answered his cousin, for that was the bargain which had been made. "I'll carry the rifle."

On and on went the young hunters, getting deeper and deeper into the woods. Here they managed to stir up more game, and Andy had the pleasure of bringing down the second rabbit, while the others laid low several squirrels.

"This is pretty rough ground around here," remarked Jack, after they had wound in and out around some exceedingly rough rocks and through some thick underbrush.

"We had better keep close to this stream," was Randy's suggestion. "If we don't, we may become hopelessly lost in these woods."

"Huh! I guess we could find our way out sooner or later," retorted his twin. To Andy, getting lost in the woods would seem nothing more than a big joke.

The young hunters continued to advance, and, during the course of the next hour, brought down several more rabbits, and also another squirrel.

Then, just as Andy had handed back one of the shotguns to Jack and the weapon had been reloaded, they heard a strange noise coming from back of some bushes not a great distance away.

"Now what do you suppose that is?" whispered Fred.

"I think I know, Fred," was Jack's reply; "and if I am right, get ready to fire as soon as I do."

The two boys with the shotguns went in advance, and soon reached a point where they could look beyond the bushes. Then came a sudden whirr, and up into the air went a small flock of pheasants.

Bang! bang! rang out Jack's fowling piece, and bang! bang! came the report of Fred's firearm.

The strange whirring continued, but then three of the birds were seen to drop to the ground, one dead and the other two seriously wounded.

"Hurrah! we've got three of them!" cried Fred excitedly, and then ran forward, to quickly put the wounded birds out of their misery.

"Say, that's some luck!" exclaimed Randy. "If I----"

Randy stopped short, and so did some of the others who had started to speak. A strange sound from a distance had reached their ears.

"Help! help!" came in a low cry. "Help! For heaven's sake, somebody come and help me!"

CHAPTER V

UNCLE BARNEY STEVENSON

"What is that?"

"It's somebody calling for help!"

"It's a man's voice; and he must be in pretty bad shape to call like that!" burst out Jack.

"h.e.l.lo there!" yelled Randy. "Where are you?"

"Here! Under the fallen tree!" came in a faint cry. "Help me, quick!"

"I think the cry came from that direction," said Andy, pointing with his hand.

"And I think it came from over there," added his twin, pointing off at a right angle to the first direction given.

"I think Andy is right!" exclaimed Jack. "Anyway, he and I can go off in that direction, while you, Randy, and Fred can see if you can locate him over yonder."

Neither of the boys had been exactly right in locating the cry for a.s.sistance, which had come from a point about midway between the two places suggested, but it was Jack who saw a large fallen tree from a distance and ran quickly toward it, yelling for all of the others to do likewise.

The sight which met their gaze filled them with a pity and a strong desire to be of a.s.sistance. There, in the snow, lay an elderly man, clad in the garb of a hunter or lumberman, with a shotgun and a well-worn game bag beside him. Over the man's legs and one outstretched arm, rested the upper portion of a large pine tree, which had evidently crashed down because of the weight of snow upon it but a short time before. The man lay on his chest, and it was all he could do to raise his head to cry for aid.

"Say, this is tough!" exclaimed Andy, as he reached the spot. "What can we do to help him?"

"We've got to pry up that tree somehow," answered Jack.

"Come on; let us see if we can't lift it!" exclaimed Randy, and took hold of one of the numerous branches.

The others did the same, and all pulled upon the tree with their utmost strength. Yet, it was too heavy for them and could scarcely be budged.