ffe just could not stand
it another minute.

"Say, they must be done by now," he remarked, eying his bird ravenously.

"They look pretty brown," remarked Bumpus, "though that may come from
the scorching they got each time they dipped in the red-hot ashes. But I
feel just like you do, Giraffe; and if you say the word, it's a go."

At that the tall scout started to savagely tear at one-half of his bird;
and not to be outdone the other boy copied his example. Perhaps at home
they would have complained long and loudly because the cook had sent
food to the table only half done; but then circumstances alter cases;
and sitting there by their lonely camp-fire under the pines and
hemlocks, those two boys munched away, and nodded toward each other in a
suggestive way, that told how much they were enjoying it.

What if the meat was far from being well cooked, did not those who knew
say that game should never be browned; and as for the gray ash that
still clung to the outside of each bird, why, the wood was sweet and
clean that it came from; and every fellow has to eat his peck of dirt
sometime or other, they understood.

And so they kept persistently at it until nothing but the bones remained
of the two partridges; and each boy was sighing because, like Alexander
of old, there were no more worlds to conquer.

"That was just prime!" declared Bumpus; "and to think that I shot the
dandy birds too; so you owe your fine supper to me, Giraffe."

"I do, eh?" chuckled the other. "How about the fire, tell me that? How'd
them same birds tasted raw? You wouldn't have liked 'em as much, I
reckon. So, you see, after all, Bumpus, honors are about even; you
supplied the game, and I fixed up the fire. Better call it a drawn
battle, and end it."

"All right, just as you say; but the only trouble I can see is they
wasn't near big enough to fit in with my capacity. There's a vacuum
still under my belt; even if I don't feel faint any longer."

"Oh! I guess we can hold out now till morning," said Giraffe. "Then
we'll take our bearings again, and make another start for the camp. And
p'raps some of them might just be out looking for us right now; and
seeing this bright fire, they'll head this way. So we'll act like we're
havin' the time of our lives; and don't you ever go and let on that we
felt scared even a little bit, hear now?"

Bumpus, having a little pride of his own, readily promised. Besides, now
that they had partaken of a very good