oot that; it's no what it
should be." The face of the young Scotchman darkened still more. Pat
flashed him a look of understanding. "We'll talk that over by and by,"
said he. "Just now we're half famished. My, but that stew smells good.
I'll unpack while you are getting the stuff ready. With that toboggan in
here there isn't room to turn around."

The toboggan had been dragged in when they first arrived and it occupied
most of the available room. Walter helped him unload, piling the stuff
on one of the bunks for the time being. Presently Alec called for their
eating outfit, confessing that his establishment didn't possess dishes
enough for so many. At length he announced dinner ready and bade the
four draw up to the little rough deal table spread with a piece of white
oilcloth. For seats there were two five-foot benches made by splitting a
log, smoothing the flat sides and inserting four stout birch legs in the
convex side of each. These were drawn up on either side of the table,
and at one end Alec drew up an empty box for his seat.

Alec had, as Walter expressed it, laid himself out on that dinner. There
was venison stew with dumplings, and a rich thick gravy. There were
baking-powder biscuits as light as feathers. There were baked potatoes
and canned string beans. And last but not least there was a great brown
loaf of hot gingerbread.

"How's your tummy now?" asked Walter as Hal at last was forced to refuse
a third helping of stew.

"It's too small," Hal complained. "I want more. I want a lot more, and I
can't eat another mouthful."

Pat insisted on helping Alec do up the dishes and flatly refused to
allow any one else take a hand, so the others spent the time in stowing
away their duffle and inspecting the interior of the cabin. To Sparrer
it was, of course, all new and strange. As for that, it was hardly less
so to Harrison and Upton. When they had last seen it it had been
windowless, doorless and the roof at the rear had been but temporarily
patched. Now there was a stout door. Four small windows had been fitted
into the openings left for this purpose. The temporary repairs which Pat
had made on the roof at the rear end had been replaced with a permanent
roof. In fact, the whole roof had been put in first class shape. The
side walls had been repacked with moss between the logs, the four side
bunks repaired and a new one built at the back, and all filled with
freshly cut balsam. The floor had been repaired. So