They all felt better after they had eaten what food was left from lunch. And surely they needed the grateful and stimulating warmth of the coffee, even though it was rather muddy, and was drunk out of tin cups they carried with them. They even had condensed milk and sugar, for these were carried in a case, in which fitted the pot and the ground coffee. This was one of Tom’s up-to-date discoveries.
To Towser were tossed the odds and ends of the sandwiches, and he ate them greedily, drinking some snow water which George melted for him in a tin he found in one corner of the cabin.
Then the boys prepared to spend the night in the deserted cabin. They sat about the fire, on improvised seats made from broken boxes, and watched the fire, which certainly was cheerful. They expected to only doze through the night, and hoped to get on the proper road by morning.
Suddenly the dog, which had been peacefully lying in front of the hearth, sprang up with a growl and bark. He startled the boys.
“Quiet!” commanded Tom, but the animal continued to growl.
“That’s funny,” remarked Jack.
“What is?” asked Tom. “Just because he barks on account of hearing something, or scenting something, that’s beyond us?”
“No, not that so much, but it’s a funny feeling I have,” said Jack. “I feel just as if we were being spied upon.”
“Spied upon!” repeated Tom. “Say, you’re as nervous as a girl, old man!”
Before Jack could reply, the dog had leaped up and rushed out into the storm through a small opening where the old door was only propped against the frame.