"That old gag don't work this time, Owen," remarked the other, as he
deposited his catch on the ground, to be admired by Bandy-legs
immediately. "I'm. wanting to kick myself for being silly, that's all"

"Oh, well, I wouldn't bother about that," Max put in, kindly. "There are
four of us here, and we ought to be able to do the business to suit you.
When shall we begin operations, Steve?"

But even then Steve did not lose his look of disappointment.

"To think that I sat there all that time," he remarked, "and never once
remembered that bully field glass we've got along."

At this remark Max realized that the distress of their chum could not be
based on anything connected with his fishing experience.

"Hello!" he exclaimed; "now you've got us guessing, all right, Steve.
You must have seen something or other, I reckon. Out with it, please."

"Well, I did," replied the other, quickly. "You see, I was sitting
there, waiting for an old buster of a bass I'd got a glimpse of several
times to come up and get hold of my hook, when I happened to look across
to the shore at just the widest part, where it's far away. And right off
I discovered that it had been something moving that caught my eye as it
were."

"A panther!" gasped Bandy-legs, involuntarily letting his hand creep
down to his left ankle, where those scratches still proved the truth of
his story that something, the nature of which was unknown, had grabbed