Sunny Jim had been bustling around preparing breakfast. With that broad smile on his ebony face he looked as though he meant to do his part toward making the camp a success. The boys knew him very well, since Sunny Jim had been a character in Cliffwood for many years. They were also aware of his reputation as a first-class cook, and anticipated being treated to many a sumptuous feast while they were in camp.
Some of the boys dressed more rapidly than others, and among the clever ones were Dick, Peg Fosdick and Dan Fenwick. Peg, having a notion that he would like to learn all he could about camp cooking as practised by an experienced man like Sunny Jim, hovered around the fire, watching and offering to assist whenever he saw the chance.
Breakfast was almost ready, and some of the other boys could be seen thrusting their heads out from the tents to sniff eagerly the delightful odors that permeated the camp.
It was just at this time that Peg, who had been looking around and asking hurried questions of the colored cook, was heard to call aloud indignantly:
“Say, I just want to know who’s gone and hid away that new aluminum frying-pan I brought along. I borrowed it from our cook at home just because it was so big and nice and shiny, as well as light. I carefully put it on this nail here, and Jim says he never once touched it, yet you can see it’s gone. Did anybody glimpse a sign of it around?”
“Here, who’s started to playing tricks in this camp so early?” called Dan Fenwick, indignantly. “My nickel watch was in my vest pocket when I undressed, but it’s disappeared like smoke. Mr. Bartlett, make the fellow own up who took it, won’t you please?”
CHAPTER X
THINGS BEGIN TO VANISH
“Are you fellows joking, or is all you’re saying true?” demanded Phil Harkness; while the others began to crane their necks and stare at Dan and Peg.
“Honest Injun, the frying-pan has cleared out, and if it doesn’t turn up, why Sunny Jim and I will have to do the best we can with these common sheet iron ones,” Peg grumbled. “And that isn’t the worst of it, either, because just think what’ll happen to me when I get home again.”
“And you can see for yourselves that my vest pocket doesn’t show a sign of my little nickel watch,” added Dan, with a shrug of his shoulders and a quick look around, as though a suspicion had suddenly clutched hold of him.