p cooking?

During the afternoon, Ralph and Hugh spent some more of their time
in making discoveries. The former young trapper had a host of
reminiscences to fall back on, now that he was located close to the
scenes of many of his previous excursions in search of fur and feather.

"See that tree lying there chopped down?" he asked Hugh, as they came
upon a pretty fairsized specimen of the forest monarch, which, after
being put to the ax, had broken many limbs off when it crashed down.
"Well, I did that little job all by myself. Want to know why?"

"I might give a guess, as I see traces of old honeycomb around here.
I'll warrant you discovered a hive of bees in this tree and meant to
get gallons and gallons of their fine stores. How about that, Ralph?"

"You struck the right nail on the head," laughed the other, "just as
I felt certain you would when I saw you look around that way. Yes, I
felt amply repaid for all my work after cutting through the tree,
because two years ago times were a bit hard with the Kenyons, and
all that nice honey proved a treat in our family circle, you'd
better believe."

"How did you find the honey tree,---by tracking the bees up the usual
way?" Hugh asked.

"That was how I did it," Ralph replied. "I once saw a regular bee
hunter do the stunt, and so I knew how; and it worked right well,
too. I started out with a little honey and coaxed a wandering bee
to fill himself up. Then with a pair of old opera glasses, I watched
his flight just as far as I could see him. Going over to that point,
I repeated the experiment. After doing it for about six times I saw
my loaded bee rise, and make for this tree. Then, as it was a warm
noon, I discovered a swarm of young bees trying their wings away up
in the air, and I knew I had located the tree hive. It is an easy
job, once you get on to it, Hugh."

"Some time I'd like to come out with you and try for another hive,"
observed the other scout. "But it's too late this year, because,
unless a very warm day happens to come along, the bees will stick
close to their hives."

In this sort of fashion the afternoon did not hang heavy on the hands
of the two boys. It never does with scouts who are alive to their
opportunities along the line of investigation. Time passed so
quickly and pleasantly that, almost before either of them suspected
it, the sun started to go down. And about the same moment they
heard Bud giving the Wolf signal, not in a