"We must hurry if we want to do anything," said Snap. "It is such a gloomy day that it will be dark soon and then the deer will surely give us the slip."
On they went, up the mountainside, but now taking care that they should go into no more caves. Thus several hundred feet were covered. Then of a sudden, Snap held up his hand.
"Hark!"
All listened and heard a crashing in the brushwood. Like a flash, five deer leaped into view, rushing across a small opening. They saw the boys and were out of sight again in a twinkling, before a gun could be raised at them.
"Why didn't you shoot?" cried Shep to Snap.
"Why didn't you?"
"I didn't have my gun ready," came from Whopper.
"Neither did I," added Giant.
The four young hunters gazed at each other sheepishly enough. Their long tramp had been all in vain.
"We're a lot of doughheads," grumbled Shep. "Come all the way for those deer and then——-Oh, say, let's go back home!"