taking the fish ashore, with a hunting knife that had a keen edge, he
looked for a good place to sit down, on a rock bordering the little
beach. Here he kept industriously at work for quite some time.

Meanwhile the fire was a big success, for Giraffe certainly was a marvel
when it came to knowing all there was about making them. He had found
just the finest hole to serve as the bed of his cooking fire, where a
body of red embers would after a little while invite them to place their
frying-pan and coffee-pot on the iron grating they carried for the
purpose, and which was really the gridiron-like contrivance belonging to
a cast-off stove's oven.

"I say, Thad!" Bumpus was heard calling, after he had had plenty of time
to finish his job with the trout.

"What do you want now, Bumpus?" replied the scout-master, cheerily.

"Come down here, won't you, and settle something for me."

So Thad hastened to accommodate him; and several of the other fellows
followed at his heels, being consumed by curiosity, perhaps; or it might
be they suspected something of the truth, and wished to hear Thad's
decision in the matter.

"Now what?" asked the scout-master, as he reached the spot.

"I wish you'd tell me what sort of a critter that was last night,"
Bumpus remarked, as he pointed down near his feet; "because he ran along
here when he skedaddled off; and you can see the prints as plain as
anything."