“Did anything tackle you?” demanded Jerry, showing immediate interest.
“Was it a wolf or a wildcat; and did you shoot him?” asked Bluff.
Frank said nothing. He saw how the other was carrying his camera under his arm, and could give a good guess as to the cause of his excitement.
“Nothing tackled me!” exclaimed the picture taker indignantly. “I was only going to tell you that the trap was sprung and my flashlight must have worked.”
“But of course you don’t know whether it was a muskrat, a fox, a mink, or perhaps a prowling ’coon that grabbed your bait,” Bluff commented.
“I’ll know after I’ve had a chance to develop the film,” he was told. “You know I have single ones that fit in frames, so they act like glass plates; only there’s no weight, and no danger of breaking them when you tumble.”
“Yes, the string was broken across the middle; and it was a good strong cord,” Will informed him.
Frank saw Bluff nod his head as though pleased. He said nothing more, however, but as soon as breakfast had been disposed of they missed Bluff. He came in presently with a grin on his face.
“Guess you’re in luck to-day, Will,” he remarked carelessly.
“Your visitor wasn’t a mink, nor yet a fisher, a fox, or a ’coon,” Bluff went on.
At that, Will began to show signs of excitement.
“Do you mean it was a wolf?” he demanded eagerly.
“Either that or a dog,” replied Bluff; and then seeing that it was only fair to explain further, he continued: “I found his trail as easy as falling off a log. Of course, I don’t pretend to be an authority on wolf tracks, because they look pretty much like a dog’s; but there were plenty around, so I figured there must have been a fair pack.”
“They were wolves, then, take it from me,” Frank asserted. “We only know of one dog in the woods besides a couple at Lumber Run Camp, and they keep them tied up most of the time.”
Will could not wait a minute longer. He had carried a little tank into the wilderness with him, by means of which it was possible to develop films in the daytime as well as by ruby light in a dark room.
When he reappeared later on there was a look on his face that announced his complete satisfaction with the results. The others did not bother asking him to show them, knowing that in good time, when his film had had a chance to dry, Will would surprise them with a blueprint.