“All right,” said Ace. “Dried peaches! What else? Mr. Norris, you’ve had a lot of experience on these back-country trips.”
“H’m!” said the young Survey man, his eyes lighting reminiscently. “Did you ever eat black bean soup with salt pork and garlic to flavor it?”
“I have,” said Pedro. “It’s a meal in itself, with black rye bread and dill pickle. And what about fried frogs’ legs and watercress? Broiled mushrooms, stewed mushrooms and onions, and crayfish soup?”
“Sounds good to me,” Ace admitted. “But have we a mushroom expert in our midst? I’m not ready to commit suicide just yet.”
“Nor I,” laughed Norris.
“Nobody asked you to,” Pedro looked aggrieved. “Goodness knows I’m no expert, but I do know a few kinds, and I know those few kinds for sure.”
“Hot dog!” commented the Senator’s son. “Go to it, ol’ boy!”
“Then,” Norris continued, “there’ve been times in my life when I didn’t turn up my nose at corned beef hash browned.”
“And spuds!” Ace completed the recipe. “And onions.”
“Dehydrated,” Norris admitted. “Can’t carry potatoes for more than the first few days, and dried onion is just as flavorful as fresh.”