The hunter scratched his head in thought.

“Well.  I know of two pretty good spots.  Maybe you had better see ’em both an’ then take your pick.”

“All right, we’ll do that,” came from Shep.  “Will you show us the spots now?”

“Certainly.  I haven’t got much else to do,” answered Jed Sanborn.

He did not tell the lads that he had been asked to keep an eye on them, fearing the information would not be to their liking.  He was not to interfere with any of their movements unless he that they were running into positive danger.

In a few minutes more the rowboat and the canoe were on the way up the western shore of Firefly Lake.  It promised to be a perfect day, with just sufficient coolness to make it exhilarating.  In the trees that lined the lake shore the birds warbled merrily, evidently glad that winter was not yet upon them.

“I reckon it’s going to be a good sporting season,” said Jed Sanborn, as they pulled along the lake shore.  “If so, you boys will be right in it, as the saying goes.”

“Well, we are out for all we can get,” answered Snap.

It was not long before they came to a spot that looked rather inviting, but there was one drawback—–­they would have to go quite a distance for spring water.

“Now I’ll show you another spot which may prove better,” said the hunter.

They turned one end of Firefly Lake and came up on the other shore.  Suddenly Whopper gave a cry: 

“That looks good!”

“So it does,” answered Shep.  “Jed, is that the spot you had in mind?”

“It is, my lad.”

“Is there a spring handy?”

“Yes; right behind the big rock to the left—–­the purest water in these parts, so I always thought.”

They lost no time in going ashore, running the rowboat up into a tiny cove, where an overhanging rock acted as a dock.  There was a small, cleared space between the tall trees, and to one side grew a clump of trees in something of a semi-circle.  Snap ran forward to investigate.

“Why, Jed, what does this mean!”

“Here is a shack already!”

“Some other hunters must have been here!”

“I was here last season, with two gentlemen from New York,” explained the hunter.  “I built that shack fer ’em.  You can use it until you put up something better—–­that is, if you decide to stay here.”

“Let us stay by all means!” cried Shep, gazing around.  “It’s a beautiful spot.”

“Better than the one we had to give up at Lake Cameron,” came from Giant.  “How about hunting, Jed?”

“Jest as good around here as t’udder lake, my boy.”

A vote was taken, and all of the boys decided that they would remain at the spot.  This being settled upon, they brought their stores ashore and placed them in the shack, so that no further rain could get at them.

“We have lost enough through the rain and that bear,” said Snap, and then had to tell Jed Sanborn all about the mysterious midnight visitor.