At Whispering Pine Lodge

a suggestive way; and then after a sudden start he would look around aggressively, as i

or fellows accustomed to such things; and those regular Adirondack packs, with a band crossing

he open. The owl would whinny or hoot according to his species; the loon send forth his agonizing and weird shriek from some distant lake; a fox might bark sharply and fretfully, or two quarre

ve fashion, after Steve had almost jerked his neck awry for about the seventh time, with

upon himself to look after the fire. Plenty of wood had been gathered to last until morning, and then

times during the night when I'm in camp, and it's no trouble for me to craw

was seen while night lasted. Once they snuggled down in their warm comfortable

s keeping it going for another spell of several hours. Of course this was Max, who really liked to take an observation concerning the state of the weather, note the chang

night

ar sight to any of them, since mankind seldom visited this inaccessible region so far removed from the track of ordinary travel. Some of the more daring among them, venturesome 'coons or 'possums perhaps

her of the fellows came creeping forth, to stretch and yawn and finally hast

t of humors, and his good sleep must have smoothed even the spirit of the fretful Bandy-legs, for he no longer grumbled or found fault. Perhaps, as so frequently happened, he

ordinary feat, since they were trying to go light-handed on this expedition, and did not have many of their ordinary "traps" alo

hings may as well be taken along, so as to insure the maximum of comfort; but when it is known in the beginning that all they are meaning to use must be pack

minum cooking vessels that nested within each other and weighed next to nothing, while offering all the advantages of ordinary granite ware. Other campers' comforts, too, had been secured, so that they even carried a certain amount of condensed food in the shape of milk

p on the Bi

would take up the least possible space. Why, by now every fellow had found out just how to do up his pack so that no sharp and uncomfo

mbers until it was quite dead. If every party that spends a night in the wilderness took the same pains to put out their fire on leaving, many a magnificent stretch

er be used, that a rising wind may not fan the embers into renewed activity, until a dangerous spark is

ved Bandy-legs, as they started gaily forth,

to look back toward the deserted camp, after the fashion of a carpenter who considers it wise to measure his post once again before applying the saw, because after th

marshy ground, it was discovered that they had a good chance to look backward. A rather pretty view rewarded th

istance, notice?" remarked Bandy-legs. "And I even see

mory of his harrowed feelings on that occasion would stay with Steve for quite some t

ther, and was close enough to even catch a wor

er a

e careful how he entered an unknown stream when fishing; and especially how he became so engrossed in his sport as to stan

erning something or other, for boys have different minds, and are apt to view things from various angles; but as time passed they made such good progress that Max prese

e, but seeing fond of "working his way," and often slipped out of things when he could manage it-some fellows always do get ho

hing like ten minutes

ile recuperating after that three mile carry. "And I guess we might as well be going on. For one I'm beginning to feel q

in, and did not speak; Max noticing this, it caused him to smile in quiet satisfaction. That was a very disagreeable habit of Bandy-legs, always questioning

e they were accustomed to such things. A greenhorn might have lost the track many times, and made a none. He had in mind the story told by Obed concerning the presence in the vicinity o

d good eyesight. "Twice now I've glimpsed something white among the thickets of undergrowth; a

instantly; "to t-t-tell you the t-t-truth, I've been squinting t

discovered a bunch of birches growing from the stump of a la

with a vein of exultation in his voice, just as though b

ithout waiting for the others to assent he dropped his pack, and threw himself down on an especially inviting bit of moss, heaving a great sig

apparently arrived at the belief that Obed was "straight," and that he really did have some sort of home in this secluded region. The directions had turned out

me sort of high wire fence?

added Bandy-legs, in some excitement, and evidently forgetting that not long

party saw what seemed to be the "cutest" little cabin fashioned from sawn logs, and nestling in a happy fashion directly under the clustering pin

me, aided by the heat of the fire, had become as hard as cement or adamant; and from this there curled wreath