"Yes."
They hurried on for another mile. It was certainly hard work and made them warm in spite of the lowness of the thermometer. Then they came to a big drift of snow and found it no mean task to get over the same.
"Hark I what was that?" said Shep.
"A gunshot," answered Whopper. "There goes another."
After that they heard several more shots, coming from some point ahead.
"Some other hunters must be out," said Snap. "Wonder who they can be?"
CHAPTER XXIV
A DISAGREEABLE MEETING
They had reached a point directly between Firefly Lake and Lake Cameron when they came to a little patch of woods surrounding a pond less than a hundred feet across. As they entered the woods they heard a slight noise and saw a small deer running swiftly across the snow on the pond. At once Whopper let drive and so did Snap, and the deer went down, kicked for a moment, and then lay still.
The game had been struck in the rump and in the neck, but there was another wound in one ear and still a fourth near the tail.