were given an unexpected fall vacation, and the chums decided to spend
it on Wildcat Island, situated at the foot of the lake. There were
several strange things connected with this island, such as a mysterious
wild man who had been seen there; and besides, it was shunned because of
the fierce bobcats that had possession. How our boys camped on this
island, and what wonderful adventures they met with there, can be
learned by reading the second volume, entitled "The Outdoor Chums on the
Lake; or, Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island."

When the Easter holidays came around they had laid out another charming
campaign. This was nothing more nor less than an expedition to Oak
Ridge, that lay some ten miles back from the lake, amid the Sunset
Mountains. Report had it that there was a real ghost to be seen there,
and the boys were bent on discovering the truth of this weird story. It
can be easily understood that they must have had a glorious time on that
trip, viewed from the standpoint of an eager, adventure-loving boy. But
the story is set down in full in the third volume, and you can read it
for yourselves in "The Outdoor Chums in the Forest; or, Laying the Ghost
of Oak Ridge."

No further long jaunts came the way of the quartet during the school
term, up to the Christmas holidays, when they received permission to
undertake a trip to the Sunny South. Just how this came about, and what
wonders they saw and experienced on a Florida river, as well as upon
the great Mexican Gulf, have been told in the fourth book of the series,
called "The Outdoor Chums on the Gulf; or, Rescuing the Lost
Balloonists."

And now it seemed as though, less than six months later, they were ready
to embark on what promised to be the most exciting trip of all, a visit