Out with Gun and Camera Part 44

The circus men were vastly surprised when they learned that it was Tommy who had captured the chimpanzee. At first they did not think they ought to pay the lad the reward, but Shep told them they could not have Abe unless they did so.

"A bargain is a bargain," said the doctor's son. "You'll not touch the chimpanzee unless you pay up."

The matter was argued hotly, but in the end the circus men gave in, and two checks were made out, both payable to Dr. Reed, and the boys signed the receipts. Then the circus men took the chimpanzee, and walked down to the lake sh.o.r.e.

"Guess you don't want Tommy any more," cried Shep after them.

"No; we've got another kid to take his place," answered one of the men.

"They'll have their hands full getting that lion and the chimpanzee to town," said Snap, and he was right. But the work was accomplished by the next day, and the pair were shipped on to the circus by train.

The young hunters remained in camp forty-eight hours longer, and then packed up and moved down to Firefly Lake. Just previous to going they let the Spink crowd have some more of their things, for which the other lads were extremely grateful.

"Guess we better be friends after this," said Ham Spink. "It doesn't pay to be on the outs."

"It doesn't," answered Shep readily.

On the return to Fairview the boy hunters camped out three nights, and shot a variety of small game and also a deer. They took the latter home and also the skin of the bear, which was afterward cured and is now on the floor of the Dodge parlor."

"You have done exceedingly well," said Dr. Reed, when he had heard their story and gone over their films and plates and pictures.

"These will make a grand collection, and are just what we wanted for advertising purposes."

The money obtained for the capture of the lion was divided among the four boy hunters, and the amount received for the chimpanzee was placed to Tommy's credit by the doctor, and the former circus boy went to live with the Reed family for the time being. Several letters were sent to Tommy's missing sister, and at last word came back from her. She had married a storekeeper who was rich, and she asked that Tommy come to live with her.

"My, but that's grand!" cried Tommy. "Now I'll have a good home."

"I'm mighty glad of it," said Shep, and the other lads said the same. Later they received letters from Tommy stating that his sister and his brother-in-law treated him well and were going to give him a fine education.

"Well, it was a great outing," said Snap, one day, when the boy hunters were talking it over.

"We'll have to go out again some day," said Whopper.

"School for ours!" cried the doctor's son.

"Right you are," came from Giant. "But, say, we had a dandy time, didn't we?"

"So we did!" cried all the others; and here we will leave the four boy hunters and say good-by.

THE END