to gain the thickets beyond lake shore.

All the boys with shotguns blazed away, and four of the rabbits
dropped in their tracks. Another went limping along painfully and Snap
caught it with case. But there was no time for a second shot.

"Well, that's not so bad, for a start," observed Giant, as they took
up their game.

"If I hadn't yelled you'd have lost the bunch," said Whopper. "Why, I
was most tempted to bring one down with the rifle."




CHAPTER IX

INTO A HOLE AND OUT


Inside of an hour the young hunters had passed to the extreme end of
the lake and were coning down on the other side.

"Here is where the Ham Spink crowd stole our boat," said Snap,
indicating the spot.

"Phew! and what a time we did have on the lake afterwards," was
Whopper's comment. "Say, I can't understand yet why some of us weren't
drowned."