they know about tracks? Who ever heard of a cow with feet like a cat? Good night! And, besides, often it turns cut that scouts are right. You wait and see.

Now the things I bought I had in a kind of a flat bundle and I hung it over my back, because I like to have my hands free. What's the use of wasting your hands? You'll never find anything out with your back; all your back is good for, is bundles.

I didn't have any adventures on the way back, till I got to that spring house in the woods. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even notice the tracks again. That's how much I was afraid of them.

When I got to the spring house, I went in for a drink of water, and believe me, it was good. I squeezed in, instead of opening the door wide, because it scraped so hard on the ground that it was easier to do that than to open it; and I did the same coming out.

I was just going to start along the path again, when I got a good idea. That's just the way you get them, sudden like. I decided to shinny up a tree that was there and see if I couldn't squint our camp over in the west, because if I could once see it, maybe I'd be able to get to it by a shorter way than by the path. I did that because it was getting late.

When I got up to the second branch I looked off to the west, but all I could see was a little smoke curling up into the sky, and I wasn't sure whether it was from our camp or from some house. The sun was going down over that way and all the clouds were kind of red on the edges and the sky looked dandy. At Temple Camp they'd be just about washing up for supper then. I thought I could tell about where the road was, but I couldn't decide about the camp and I was just going to shinny down and hit the trail when I heard a kind of a sound like leaves rustling and then a funny sort of growl, different from anything I had ever heard before. I looked around and then I saw; coming through the woods, an animal with big spots on it and a long tail. I guess it was almost as big as a tiger; anyway, it was a good deal bigger than a wild cat. It was making a noise as if it was grumbling to itself, then all of a sudden, it opened its mouth wide, as if it was going to roar, but it didn't. It came almost up to the tree and stood still and its tail hung on the ground and wriggled like a snake.

I have to admit that I was good and scared. I just held onto the tree and didn't make a move; I guess I hardly breathed. Then, all of a sudden, the branch I was standing on cracked.