ybody know that it
is exactly ten minutes to twelve?"

"Codfish and crullers! You don't say so!" came from Whopper. "I knew
I was getting hollow somewhere. What shall we do---go ashore and
cook dinner?"

"Might as well," came from Snap. "Our time's our own, remember.
We haven't got to hurry."

"I know just the spot, about quarter of a mile from here," said
Shep. "Our family once went there for a picnic. There's a good
spring of water there and a hollow for a fire, and everything."

"Pantry full of dishes and a tablecloth, I suppose," broke in
the irrepressible Whopper. "I do love a picnic ground where you
can pick napkins off the bushes and toothpicks, too."

The boys pushed the rowboat on its way and soon reached the spot
that Shep had mentioned, and there they tied up at a tree-root
sticking out of the river bank. Beyond was a cleared space and
a semi-circle of stones with a pole in two notched posts for a
fire and kettle. They soon had a blaze started and Whopper filled
the kettle at the spring and hung it to boil.

"This is just a taste of what is to come," said Snap. "At this
meal we'll have our sandwiches, cake and some hot coffee. It
will be different when we broil our deer meat, or something like
that, and make hot biscuits."

"And roast our bear steaks," put in Whopper. "Just wait till
you see the bear I shoot!"

"He means the bear he runs away from," said Shep, and this caused
a laugh.

As soon as the water was boiling they made coffee, and then all
sat around to enjoy their first meal in the open. The adventures
of the morning had given them all good appetites, and they did not
stop until the entire allowance had disappeared.

"No more just now," said Snap. "We must keep something for supper
and for breakfast, you know. After that we have got to live on
regular camp fare."

They lolled around for the best part of an hour, then arose, cleaned
up the camp, and started on their journey.

"And now for Lake Cameron!" cried Shep. "May we reach there without
further mishaps."

CHAPTER VI

A FIRST NIGHT IN CAMP

Lake Cameron was a beautiful sheet of water, connected with the
river by a narrow but deep creek lined on either side with thick
blackberry and elderberry bushes. Around the lake the scenery
was rather wild, and had it been closer to the railroad would
have been a great spot for sportsmen. Even as it was, many came
up there to hunt and to fish, and the boys wer