t's br'iled
jest right. Are thar any more whar these come from, Sol?"

"Not jest at this minute, Jim, but thar wuz, an' thar will be. A dozen
jest ez good ez these fat fellers flew away when I fired, an' whar some
hez been more will come."

"Curious we didn't think of the wild fowl," said Henry. "We noticed that
the swamp had big permanent ponds besides running water, and it was a
certainty that wild ducks and wild geese would come in search of their
kind of food, which is so plentiful in here."

"Maybe we can set up traps and snares and catch game," said Paul. "It
will save our ammunition, and besides there would be no danger that a
wandering Indian in the swamp might hear our shots and carry the news of
our location."

"Wise words, Paul," said Henry. "We must put our minds on the question
of traps."

"But not this minute," said Long Jim. "Bigger things are to the front.
Here, you lazy Sol, he'p me clean these ducks, an' Paul, you an' Tom
build me a fire quicker'n lightnin'. The sooner you do what I tell you
the sooner you'll git juicy duck to eat."

They worked rapidly, with such an incentive to effort, and soon the
savory odors of which Long Jim had boasted incited their hunger to an
extreme pitch. He did not keep them waiting long, and when they were
through nothing was left of the ducks but bones.

"It would be better to have bread, too," said Paul, as he sighed with
satisfaction, "but since we can't have it we must manage to get along
without it."

"Mustn't ask fur too much," said Silent Tom.

"Sol," said Henry, "after we rest an hour or so suppose you and I set
the snares for the ducks and geese. Likely no human being has ever been
in here before, and they won't be on guard against us. The rest of you
might do more work on the house. We ought to provide food and shelter as
well as we can before stormy weather comes."

While Henry and the shiftless one were busy down the stream, the other
three put more strength into the hut, lashing the poles and bark fast
with additional tenacious withes and feeling all the interest that
people have when they erect a fine new house.

"It's surely a tight little cabin," said Paul, standing off and
examining it with a critical eye. "I don't think a drop of rain could
get in even in the heaviest storm. There, did you hear that?"

"Yes, a rifle shot," said Long Jim. "It wuz Henry or Sol, but it don't
mean no enemy. They hev got some kind uv game that they didn't expec