“Hear! hear!  Somebody rub him on the back, please!  But joking aside, Will, I’m ready to back you up on that score.  The only fault I find with you is your ambition to take a fellow in every pickle he happens to drop into,” and Jerry made a wry face as he remembered a number of scenes in which he had figured, that were wont to excite his chums to uproarious laughter at such times as they looked at the faithful reproductions in their album at the clubhouse.

In this pleasant way the day passed, and evening found them eager to complete their preparations for the morrow.  Mr. Mabie answered every question fired at him by the anxious young sportsmen, especially Bluff, who wanted to know everything connected with the game they expected to hunt.

“He’s trying to forget his great disappointment,” said Frank as he and Jerry watched the other plying Mr. Mabie with these queries; for Bluff was the son of a lawyer, and would never take things for granted.

“What’s that?” asked Jerry, for no one had been told about the loss that had come to Bluff.

“Can’t find that knife of his anywhere, it seems, and believes he must have left it behind.  He was looking mighty blue when I found him in the room, with all our stuff tumbled, pell-mell, out of the trunk.”

Frank eyed his chum as he spoke.  Jerry turned a little red.

“Not guilty, Frank!  I give you my word I never touched the measly old knife.  I’m sorry for him, too, for he seemed so bent on doing great stunts with it.  I’ll take a look myself,” he said hastily, and yet meeting his chum’s gaze in such a straightforward fashion that Frank never doubted his word for an instant.

“No use doing that.  He rooted the whole outfit over.  The knife is gone, and that’s sure!  I’ve been thinking some about it.”

“And had a bright idea, I warrant.  What’s your solution of the mystery?”

“Why, you see, Jerry, I can clearly recollect Nellie’s startled look when Bluff showed her that terribly large knife.  She’s afraid of such things.  I’m sure she must have worried some about it, and I was thinking—­”

“What?”

“That perhaps she may have considered it prudent to hide it away so that he couldn’t find it again.  I believe she would in my case, anyhow.  It would be just like Nellie.”

“Oh, well, it doesn’t matter much, only Bluff is such a fellow to hang on a thing he’ll never give us any peace about it.  Have you asked Will?” said Jerry.

“No.  I will, though; but I don’t think he would bother his head about a dozen knives.  If it were a camera, now, or a rapid-action rectilinear lens, you could depend on him to take notice.”

Frank was as good as his word.  Will denied having touched the article in question, and said he was sorry to hear Bluff would be deprived of a pleasure.

And so for the time being the mystery remained such, with Bluff occasionally digging into that trunk in a vain search, and always sighing mournfully because he failed to bring the lost treasure to light.