All of the boys loved to camp out, and about a year before this tale opens had organized an outing or gun club, as related in detail in the volume called “Four Boy Hunters.”  They journeyed to the shores of Lake Cameron and then to another body of water called Firefly Lake, and had plenty of fun and not a few adventures.  During their outing they had considerable trouble with a dudish sport—–­from town named Hamilton Spink, and his cronies, and were in great peril from a disastrous forest fire.

When school opened the young hunters returned to their studies, but with the approach of the winter holidays their thoughts turned again to the woods and water, and once more they sallied forth, as related in full in “Guns and Snowshoes.”  They found game in plenty, and also ran the perils of a great blizzard, and got lost in the snow.

“Shall we go out again?” was the question asked when the next summer vacation was at hand, and all answered in the affirmative.  This time, as related in the volume called “Young Hunters of the Lake,” they ventured considerably farther from home—–­to the shore of a lake said to be visited by a much-dreaded ghost.  There they again went hunting and fishing to their hearts’ content, and once more had trouble with Ham Spink and his cronies.  They saw the “ghost,” and were at first badly scared, but in the end solved the awful mystery by proving that the “ghost” was nothing but a man—–­a relative of Giant, who had lost his mind and disappeared some time before.  The man was restored to reason, and through his testimony Giant’s mother obtained some money which had been tied up in the courts.

The finding of the man had brought the boy hunters back to Fairview before their summer vacation was half finished.  What to do next was the question.

“We ought to go somewhere—–­staying at home is dead slow,” was the way one of the lads expressed himself; but for a week or more nothing was done.

Whistling gaily to himself, Shep Reed hurried down to the lake front.  As he came out on one of the docks he caught sight of Snap, surrounded by half a dozen other lads, all carrying various bundles, and all equipped with guns and fishing-rods.

“Ham Spink and his cronies,” murmured the doctor’s son to himself.  “Wonder where they are bound?”

“Oh, we are going to have the outing of our lives this trip,” Ham Spink was declaring in his usual lordly fashion.  “It’s going to be the finest outing ever started from this town.”

“Where are you going?” asked Snap curiously.

“Do you suppose we are going to tell you?” demanded another boy, a lad named Carl Dudder.  “Not much!  We don’t want you to come sneaking after us, to shoot the game that we stir up.”

“We never sneaked after you,” cried Snap rather indignantly.  “And we have always been able to stir up our own game.”

“Bah!  I know better.”