Chapter I: Preface

This story is a complete tale in itself, and it also forms the first volume of a series to be devoted to sport in the forest, on the water, and on the athletic field.

My object in writing this tale was two-fold: first, to present to the boys a story which would please them, and, second, to give my young readers an insight into Nature as presented in the depths of the forest during the winter.

The young hunters of Lakeport are no different from thousands of other youths of to-day. Although they do some brave deeds, they are no heroes in the accepted sense of that term, and at certain times they get scared just as others might under similar circumstances. They are light-hearted and full of fun, and not above playing some odd practical jokes upon each other. In the old and experienced hunter, who goes with them on this never-to-be-forgotten outing, they find a companion exactly to their liking, and one who teaches them not a few “points” about hunting that are worth knowing.

The scene of this tale is laid in one of our eastern states. A few years ago small game of all kinds was plentiful there, and deer, moose, and even bears, could also be laid low. But some of the larger animals are fast disappearing, and it is now only a question of time when they will be wiped out altogether. This seems a great pity; but the march of the lumberman and the progress of the farmer cannot be stayed.

Edward Stratemeyer.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. What Happened in a Snowstorm 1
II. The Dugans to the Rescue 12
III. A Fruitless Search 24
IV. Skating 37
V. A Quarrel on the Ice 44
VI. Organizing the Club 56
VII. The First Day in Camp 71
VIII. What Happened at Night 83
IX. At a Deer Hunt 95
X. Among the Wolves 104
XI. Confronted by the Enemy 116
XII. Driven from the Lodge 125
XIII. Lost in a Blizzard 137
XIV. The Enemy Asks a Favor 149
XV. A Midnight Visitor 161
XVI. Back to the Lodge 173
XVII. A Search and a Bear 185
XVIII. A Fire, and What Followed 197
XIX. A Gathering of Young Hunters 209
XX. Building the New Shelter 219
XXI. The Fight of the Pine Martens 229
XXII. Teddy Meets “The Indians” 239
XXIII. Pike Spearing through the Ice 249
XXIV. A Battle with a Wolverene 261
XXV. Teddy Evens the Score 270
XXVI. The House in the Woods 279
XXVII. A Plan for a Capture 286
XXVIII. The Last of the Tramps 294
XXIX. A Great Moose Hunt 303
XXX. The Find—End of the Outing 312

THE GUN CLUB BOYS OF LAKEPORT