The Bungalow Boys North of Fifty-Three

with the shore, the boys saw something else. Standing by the cages

of a man glided through the darkness toward the

guessing with a catch at the hear

had reached the sled and ben

ac

sharp crack of his dog-whip, sounding like the report o

d on the hard, packed snow. It began to g

fire!" shouted

le but Tom sternl

rdered the elder

t least attempted to be one,

ference. We don't

isgustedly, "you're going

e and fired in the direction of the sled, which could now only

hem a laugh. It was a derisive sound that m

y," he said, turning on the Scotch lad

e that without raising a finger,-h

ny harm," said Tom, "he may have only in

g from the direction of the black fox's cage. To Tom that could mean only one thing and that was that the intruder had killed the occupant of the cage. In fact, that wa

at his orders, were getting a lantern. When it arrived, the three boys in any bu

els as the lantern light struck them. This showed Tom that at least six of the cages still held thei

not refrain from exclamations of anger, for the cage

ence of the slaying and theft to enable them to reconstruct e

dred dollars gone ker

tongue indignantly, "the bonny black fox

d him. What could they say to Mr. Dacre and his partner when they returned from the set

tterest moments of his life. He was fairly at a standstill. In the dark it would be impossible to overtake the bol

er catching him. Any trader would be glad to buy the black fox skin, and with the

l Uncle D

olution came into Tom's mind. Undoubtedly he, as the one in charge of the camp, was respons

er that, it would at least be partial restoration for w

. No doubt the thief knew that he was not likely to have time to rob more than one cage undisturbed after the noise of

rozen snow. They lay there in the yellow lantern light as cle

to find out about the valuable collection of foxes on the bank of the Porcupine River, Tom, of course, could not guess. But one thing he did know-th

t the man with his heavy load could not make very fast time. Before daylight, long before the fi

put into readiness for the long trail that Tom and Jack (for his younger brother was to be his companion) were to strike. As the boys had

and to be on hand to meet Mr. Dacre and his partner on their return from the settlements and explain matters to them. Tom was not certain just when the

iftly along the thief's trail on their snow-shoes, Sandy st

ng very depressed and alone, he turned back to the Yukon Rover and