“The woods look as though it wouldn’t take a great deal to set them going,” declared Frank.  “One of the men threw a match down to-day, after lighting his cigarette, and it seemed like magic the way the fire flashed up.  He had to be quick to jump on it before the breeze carried it along.”

Mr. Mabie frowned.

“I won’t ask you which man it was, Frank; but I must warn them again to be more than ordinarily careful about throwing matches around and leaving a fire burning anywhere in the woods.  Many a grand forest has been ruined by such carelessness,” he said.

“How does that happen, sir?” inquired Bluff.

“It is easy.  The careless hunter or trapper leaves his dying fire when he breaks camp.  Then up comes a sudden wind and some of the red cinders are blown into the dead leaves or punk grass.  Fanned by the breeze, they become a roaring flame in a minute, and the mischief is done.  Be careful, boys, please.”

“We certainly will, sir,” replied Frank sincerely.  “Not to speak of the damage done, it must be mighty unpleasant to be caught in a forest fire.  I’ve read of such things, but never hankered for a personal experience.”

On the following day they started to look into the possibilities for big game around the new camp.

“Reddy, here, says he knows of a bear den that we ought to visit some time later.  While at it, you boys must see all there is going in the way of sport, for you may never come out this way again, though I hope that will not be the case.  To-day, however, we will take things a bit easy,” remarked the ranchman.

Although the stockman did not speak any plainer, Frank knew just what he meant.

“He thinks we must be feeling the effects of our little excitement yesterday, Jerry, and that the soreness in our muscles will take our ambition away for to-day,” he said aside to his chum.

“Tell me about that, will you!  To prove that we’re tougher than Mr. Mabie thinks, let’s you and I engineer a little hunt of our own?” proposed the other quickly.

Accordingly, they started out, going down the valley.

“The walk will do us good, anyhow,” declared Frank, “even if we don’t run across any big game.”

“I was asking Mr. Mabie about moose, and he said that occasionally one is seen in this region, though generally they hang out further east.  I’ve always wanted to get a moose, but was never able to be up in the woods where they are found, when the law was off.  How about you, Frank?  Ever shoot at one?”

“Never had that luck, though I’ve seen many in the summer time, in Maine.  Somehow, it seems to go against the grain doing this hunting at such a queer time.  I guess it won’t be long before they have as strict laws up here as we have to protect such game as deer and elk.”

“How about panthers and grizzlies?” asked Jerry.

“They don’t want to protect those fellows.  You’ve got a right to knock one over, or a wolf, any time you want, if he doesn’t get you first,” laughed Frank.