"Well," said Step Hen, presently, when they had strained their eyes to
the utmost without any result whatever, "seems like he saw you at the
same time, and lit out in a big hurry."

Giraffe began to recover from the first shock caused by the alarm; and
when he was feeling himself the tall scout could nearly always think of
something quaint to say.

"That reminds me of the old baby book rhyme we all used to say; p'raps
you'll remember, fellows. It's been a long time since I repeated it,
but I think it runs about like this: 'I Saw Esau kissing Kate; and the
fact is, we all three saw. I saw Esau, he saw me; and Kate saw I saw
Esau.' How's that?"

No one answered, and for a pretty good reason; for hardly had Giraffe
uttered his question when, without the slightest warning, a dazzling ray
of white light suddenly fell upon the group of scouts crouching there on
the after-deck of the little hunting cabin cruiser, causing every one to
gasp, and fall to quivering almost as much as though a flash of
lightning had darted toward them.

"Oh!" cried some one; and while the tones of the voice could hardly be
distinguished on account of the vibration caused by the speaker's alarm,
no one had the least doubt but that it was Bumpus who thus betrayed his
agitated feelings.

Thad and Allan, and perhaps several of the other scouts, knew instantly
that the strong glow was caused by one of those handy little electric
torches, for they happened to have just such an alliance along with
them, and had made great use of it on numberless occasions.