“So do I, and I’ll feel better still when I find my boat,” came from Tom.
“We’ll have another hunt for her in the morning,” suggested Bert.
“And we may have good luck,” added Dick. “I think the finding of this cave and the food means that our luck will take a turn.”
“It needs to,” said Tom grimly.
For beds they cut spruce and hemlock boughs, spreading them out on the floor of the cave, and, though it was not like their comfortable cots, they slept fairly well, not being disturbed. After a breakfast, on what was left from the previous night, they held a conference.
“What’s best to do?” asked Tom. “I don’t want to always be giving orders.”
“Sure, you’re the camp-captain,” declared Jack. “We’ll listen to you. I should think you’d have to find the boat first, before we can do anything else. We can’t swim back to our camp, that’s certain.”
“Well, if that’s the general opinion, we’ll have another try for the boat, walking along the lake shore,” agreed Tom.
They set out, and retraced their route of the previous day, coming finally to the lake. As the place where the river entered was quite broad it was out of the question to swim it, or, rather, they did not like to risk it, in such unknown waters.