The animal he had fired at had been running across a small opening between the trees. At the first shot the game had made a turn, and at the second had given a leap and disappeared into a small hollow filled with snow.
When the boys reached the hollow all they could see at first was the snow which had been kicked in several directions. But then they caught sight of a bushy tail peeping forth from the white covering.
"It"s a fox, all right enough!" exclaimed Gif.
"Look out there! He may not be dead," warned Fred. "If he"s alive and you touch him he may give you quite a bite."
They advanced with caution, and Gif turned the animal over with the end of his gun barrel. He exposed a large fox of a silvery grey color. It was quite dead.
"A silver fox!" came from Andy.
"Jack, you"ve had your wish," said Gif. "It"s a silver fox, all right enough."
They dragged it forth from the hollow and examined the animal with much interest. The fur was somewhat reddish next to the hide, but the tips were white and silver grey.
"A beautiful piece of fur, that"s certain," said Gif. "Your folks will be glad to get it."
"How about Ruth Stevenson getting it," said Randy, with a grin; and at this remark Jack blushed.
A part of the next day was spent in skinning both the fox and the wolf.
The boys wondered if they would see anything of the Secret Service agent, but he did not show himself.
"They may take their own time about working up this case," remarked Spouter. "They may want to get just the right kind of evidence before they close in on the rascals."
Another day went by, and again the lads went forth to try their skill both at hunting and at fishing. This time Spouter went along, and while the others were fishing with more or less success the orator of Colby Hall had the honor of stirring up a brook mink of fair size and laying it low.
"You"ve got a nice little neck-piece there for somebody," said Jack, as he looked at the soft fur of the mink. "You can count yourself lucky."
Another Sunday was pa.s.sed in camp, but still the Secret Service agent did not show himself. On the Sabbath day Jed Wallop came down to see them. They said nothing to the old hunter of what was in the wind.
"I am sorry to hear your vacation is drawin" to a close," said Jed Wallop. "But you ought to be purty well satisfied over what you"ve got.
It ain"t everybody that can git a silver fox and other foxes too, and a wolf and a brook mink, not to say anything about rabbits, squirrels, partridges, and sech. I think you lads have done wonderful well."
"I think so myself," answered Gif.
Monday morning the young hunters took it easy, and it was not until after lunch that they thought of going out once again with their guns.
"Might as well make the best of what time is left to us," was the way Fred expressed himself. "Before long we"ll have to be at the Colby Hall grind again."
"Don"t mention school to me," answered Andy. "This kind of a life suits me down to the heels."
The boys were almost ready to leave the Lodge when they heard the jingle of sleigh bells and to their surprise saw a large sled approaching filled with the bundled-up figures of men.
"h.e.l.lo, it must be those Secret Service agents!" cried Gif. "Now maybe there will be something doing!"
All watched the approach of the big sleigh, and were then surprised to see that the turnout contained the four Germans they had met before, and likewise Tony Duval and a sixth man, who was a stranger to them.
"Are you at home?" called out the largest of the Germans, the man named Bauermann.
"Looks as if we were, doesn"t it?" answered Jack, as he stood in the doorway with the others peering over his shoulders.
"We would like to have a talk with you, young man," went on Emil Bauermann, with a frown on his face. "We came over here on purpose to see you."
"If you young men have been trying to make trouble for me you shall suffer for it," came in a growl from Tony Duval.
"Who said we were trying to make trouble for you, Duval?" demanded Gif.
"Bah! you cannot fool me, Garrison," said the hunter wrathfully.
Evidently he was greatly excited.
"Duval, let me handle this matter," remonstrated Emil Bauermann. "We want to have a serious talk with you young men," he added to the boys.
All of the occupants of the big sleigh sprang out in the snow, and without waiting for an invitation to do so stalked into the Lodge.
The Germans were evidently in a bad humor, and they glowered at the cadets in a way that made them feel far from comfortable.
"What is it you want?" demanded Gif, not liking the manner of their intrusion.
"We want to come to an understanding," growled one of the Germans.
"You cannot play tricks behind our backs without taking the consequences," grumbled another.
"Maybe you think you"re smart, but you"ll find that we are smarter,"
added a third. "Many a man has been so smart that he has stuck his head into the noose."
"Let me handle this matter," broke in Emil Bauermann, and then uttered some words in German. An animated discussion in that tongue followed, the cadets understanding next to nothing of what was said.
"I do not like the looks of this at all," whispered Randy to Jack. "I believe they came here to do us harm."
"That"s the way it looks to me too," whispered Fred. "They must have got wind in some way of our being up around their place."
The Germans had turned to the strange man who was with them, and when they pointed to the cadets this stranger nodded. Evidently he was identifying the boys.
"It is as I thought," said Emil Bauermann sternly, as he glared at the young hunters. "This man saw you spying around our place and around the Duval place. What do you mean by such conduct? Explain yourselves or take my word for it, it will go hard with you," and he shook a menacing fist in their faces.
CHAPTER x.x.x
THE EXPOSURE--CONCLUSION
It must be confessed that the six cadets did not like the menacing att.i.tude of the five Germans and Tony Duval. Evidently one of the men--the stranger--had been spying on them, and he had carried his information to the others.
"That"s right, Bauermann, make them explain themselves," growled Tony Duval. "And don"t be too easy on "em, either!"
"See here, you have no right to come in here without being invited,"