“Get back!” murmured Whopper.  “Get back, you beast!  Say, fellows, this is the worst bear of the lot!  Down he goes!  That makes four bears for yours truly!”

“I know what’s the matter!” shouted Snap, lowering his gun.  “He has got the nightmare.”

“Yes, and got it bad, too,” put in Giant.  “My! see him hustle with the bush!”

“Shall we wake him up?” asked Shep.

“No—–­it may not be good for him,” answered Snap.

“Oh, I am going to wake him up!” came from Giant, and before the others could stop him he ran forward and caught Whopper by the arm.  “Wake up, Whopper!” he called.  “Wake up, old man!  You’ve got ’em bad!”

At first Whopper paid no attention.  “Then his struggles with the bush ceased and he opened his eyes and stared about him in bewilderment.

“Wh-what is the matter?  Wh-where am I?” he stammered, gazing around stupidly.

“You’ve been asleep and dreaming,” explained Snap.  “You thought you were after a bear.”

“So I was—–­after a dozen bears.  Did I—–­I kill any?”

“There are no bears here.  You were only dreaming.”

“Oh!” Whopper rubbed his eyes.  “No bears at all?”

“None but what we shot yesterday.  You went to sleep and the next thing we knew you were out here, pulling at this bush.”

“Where am I?”

“Back of the cabin,” put in Shep.  “You had better go to bed again.”

“And please don’t dream of any more bears,” added Giant, with a grin.

Whopper scratched his head in perplexity.

“Funny how I got here!  I don’t understand it at all.  Oh, but say, I was having the fight of my life!”

“I should say so,” answered Snap, looking around.  “You must have pulled up those three bushes yonder.  Getting strong in your sleep.”

“I am glad he didn’t dream I was a bear,” remarked Shep.  “There wouldn’t have been anything left of me by the time he woke up!”

“I know how it was,” said Whopper, as the full truth dawned on him.  “I ate a very hearty supper last night, and when I went to bed my head was full of those two bears we brought down.  That gave me the nightmare.”

“Then, after this, we’ll have to send you to bed supperless,” said Snap.

“Not much!” cried Whopper.

CHAPTER XXIX

A STRANGE MEETING IN THE FOREST

Despite Whopper’s nightmare and what had followed, the boy hunters slept soundly for the rest of the night.  All arose at daybreak and procured what was destined to be their last meal in the camp for that season.

“I rather hate to leave the spot,” said Snap, while packing away the breakfast things.  “We have had some good fun here.”

“We must come back some time, by all means,” declared Shep.  “Maybe this winter.”

“Yes, some hunting up here in mid-winter wouldn’t go bad,” came from Giant.  “We could bring snowshoes along and have jolly times.”