one side of the fire, and here he attended to the coffee, as well as
looked after the big saucepan of potatoes and onions that had been
placed on the red coals. Lub's round face was about as fiery as the
blaze that crackled and danced at the back of the hearth; and he often
had to mop his streaming brow; but he stuck heroically at his task to
the bitter end.

Then came his reward when they sat around, and every fellow had a
heaping pannikin between his knees, or on the small table, flanked by a
cup, also of light aluminum, filled with coffee.

Seeing that they were all helped Phil knocked on the table, and held up
his cup.

"Before we take our first bite, fellows," he went on to say, solemnly;
"I think we ought to drink to the success of our camping trip up here
in the Adirondacks proper. Coffee is the only proper liquid to drink
that toast in, so up with your cups, every one. Here's to the Mountain
Boys, and may they enjoy every minute of their stay at Birch Bark
Cabin!"

"Drink it down!" cried X-Ray Tyson, noisily.

With that they took the first swallow of the nectar that Lub had brewed.
Never had its like been tasted at home, amidst prosaic surroundings;
there was something in the atmosphere of the mountains that made
ordinary things assume a different aspect; their hard tramp had aroused
their appetites amazingly, and just then those four boys were ready to
admit that this was the life worth while.

For the next half-hour they sat there on such stools as they could find,
and proceeded to "lick the platter clean;" inasmuch as there was not a
particle left when they had finished supper. But even Lub confessed that
he had had quite enough.

CHAPTER IV

THE FIGURE IN THE MOONLIGHT

"You couldn't beat this much, I'd say, if you want to know my opinion,"
Ethan was remarking, after they had finished the meal and were taking
things easy.

"Of course we all feel pretty much the same way," admitted X-Ray Tyson;
"but I'd be a whole lot better satisfied if I knew about that bright new
half-dollar. Is it a good one, or a bunker?"

"Chances are we'll hear no end to that squall all the time we're up
here," Ethan went on to say, with a pretended look of disgust on his
thin Yankee face. "Whenever you do get a thing on your mind, X-Ray, you
sure beat all creation to keep yawping about it. Forget that you ever
picked up the fifty, and let's be thinking only of the royal good times
we're meaning to have."

"Wh