the game bag.

Nick, who was pottering with a few rather poor looking oysters he had
managed to discover in some little cove, grinned, and rubbed himself
comfortingly in the region of the stomach.

"Which shall it be, brethren, wild duck, quail on toast, rabbit stew,
or great governor! wild turkey roasted?" he demanded, with the utmost
confidence that Jack would fulfill at least one of these conditions.

When the Nimrod of the crowd came in sight, there was more or less
interest manifested as to what he had shot. After all, it proved to be
wild ducks. And Nick's eyes glistened when he saw that they were
mallards, three fat fellows at that.

"I happened on 'em in a little wide reach of the creek about half a
mile away," Jack explained; "and as this was a pot hunt, fellows,
believe me, I didn't hesitate to shoot the first barrel straight at the
three as they sat on the water. Two dropped and the other fellow made
to rise; but that was dead easy, and I got him with the second shell."

"Yum! yum! I can imagine how good they'll taste," remarked Nick. "But
as we haven't any oven along, how can we roast 'em? Jack, why not try
that hole in the ground trick that you showed us last year when we were
down on the Mississippi?"

"That's right, Jack!" echoed George.

"Just as you say, fellows; and the sooner we get our oven in working
order then, the better; because, you remember, it takes quite some
hours for it to do the job. It's really the original fireless cooker,
known to woodsmen for rafts of years before the idea was applied to
bottles that will keep the stuff warm forty hours; and contrivances to
gradually cook meats and other things. So here goes to get busy with
the oven. Nick, you and Herb and Jimmy each pluck one of the ducks in
the meantime, so they will be ready."

Now, this was a part of the business that Nick liked not at all; but he
felt that it would be a shame to complain, when he delighted so much in
being about to share in the treat; so he set to work, after his clumsy
fashion, to make the feathers fly.

Jack, meanwhile, dug a proper hole in the ground, where he could find
something like clay. With the help of Josh he started a fire in the
same. This was kept up a certain length of time, until the walls of
the oven were baked hard, and felt exceedingly hot. Then the ashes
were cleaned out, the three ducks placed therein, after being carefully
wrapped in big green leaves; and when this had b