f you are, too."

"Wait until we've done eighteen or twenty miles," Prescott proposed.
"Then we can take a vote about making it twenty-five."

"For one thing," Darry objected, "none of us actually walks twenty-five
miles when we cover that distance. We take turns riding on the
wagon, and, as there are six of us, that means that each fellow
rides something like four miles of the distance covered."

"What Darry is driving at," proposed Danny Grin, "is that he wants
to devote himself wholly to walking hereafter. He doesn't care
about driving the horse."

"I'm big enough and cranky enough to do my own talking, when there
is any reason for my entering into the conversation," smiled Dave.

At a little after eleven that morning, when thirteen and a half
miles had been covered, all hands were willing enough to halt
and rest, prepare luncheon and rest again.

"But I still hope we shall cover the twenty-five miles to-day,"
Darry insisted.

"No difficulty about that, either," declared Harry Hazelton.
"Darry, while we are swapping stories over the campfire this evening
you can take a lantern and do an extra five miles by way of an
evening walk. Then you'll be tired enough to sleep."

"I'll see about it," Darrin laughed.

"And that's the last we'll hear about it," Tom predicted dryly.

"It is the experience of every military commander, so I've read,"
Dick went on, "that a long march the first day of a big hike is
no especially good sign of how the soldiers will hold out to the
end. On the contrary, military men have found that it's better
to march a shorter distance on the first day and to work up gradually
to a good standard of performance."

"All right," agreed Hazelton. "For one, I'm willing to take a
rest after eating, and then take the afternoon for getting acquainted
with this pretty grove."

"We won't quite do that, either, if I have my way," Prescott laughed.
"We ought to do a few miles this afternoon, but not set out to
do any record-breaking or back-breaking stunt."

"There goes hazy's dream up in the air," laughed Greg. "I just
knew that Hazy was planning how to spend the afternoon napping."

"I'll volunteer to drive all the way, this afternoon," Harry offered.
"That will give all of you fellows a chance to harden yourselves
more on the first day."

"If you want to know a good definition of 'generosity,' then ask
Hazy," snorted Dalzell.

"Come on!" cried Dick good-humoredly. "Scatter. Some for