“Yes, and there’s another!” exclaimed Jerry. “Say, we have struck a game country if we haven’t a gold one. I say, what’s the matter with having a hunt?”
“Good!” cried Bob and Ned.
“I think it would do no harm to replenish the larder with something fresh,” remarked the professor.
Accordingly, after breakfast, guns were gotten ready and the boys and the professor tramped off through the woods, taking care not to go too far from the lake, as the trees were thick, and, as there were no trails blazed, it would be easy to get lost.
Ned bagged the first partridge, and Bob came second, getting two in succession. Jerry had hard luck, for twice he missed easy shots. A little later, however, he bowled over a plump rabbit, and followed it up with a second. Then Ned got one, and Jerry succeeded in bagging a couple of fine birds.
Some of the game was served for dinner, which was eaten by a campfire, and very fine it was voted. Then some was packed away in salt, against a possible time when provisions might be hard to get.
“What do you say, shall we stay here another night or push on?” asked Jerry, about the middle of the afternoon.
“If you ask me,” said the professor, “I should say to remain here. I saw a number of fine and rare specimens I would like to gather.”
“The only thing is, perhaps we had better join Nestor as soon as possible,” remarked Ned.
“I think a few days’ delay can do no harm,” Mr. Snodgrass said. “From the tone of Nestor’s letter I would say there was no immediate danger of the mine being claimed by others.”