“I should say that was a find,” exclaimed Garry. “Now we can do all the exploring around here that we want to, and if we find nothing here we can portage the canoe across the woods to Dutton Lake and continue our investigation.”
They were disappointed, however, for on dragging out the canoe, they found that a great hole had been torn in the bottom.
“Now wouldn’t that jar you. I wish I had looked at it more carefully before I called to you,” said Dick in a disappointed tone.
“Let your Uncle Dudley take a look,” ordered Garry. After a few moment’s investigation, he straightened up. “It can be repaired easily with what simple tools we have and a little help from old Mother Nature. Our only trouble will be a swim of about four miles. Two across to the point that I noted when I looked through my glasses, and two back to where we want to do our work, which had better be here.”
“I think I begin to see faint glimmerings of what you intend to do,” said Phil, as he scanned the end of the lake that came within his vision. Phil had abnormally keen eyes, and could often see things that the other boys required a glass to discern.
“Well, Sherlock, what do I intend to do?” asked Garry with a laugh.
“It seems to me, if my eyes don’t fail me, that I can see a sort of a white clump of woods about two miles distant, at least the sunshine casts a brighter glare than it does on the green of the pines and spruces. Now to me that spells b-i-r-c-h. Am I right?”
“Right again. That’s just what I have in mind. Let’s start. We ought to be able to have a fine canoe by noon if we don’t loiter.”
They swam back to where they had left their clothes, and it was decided that Phil should stay behind to guard their clothes, packs and rifles. Garry got his hatchet and sheath off his belt, and tucked his knife safely into the sheath of the axe blade. Then by knotting two of the bandanna handkerchiefs that they customarily wore about their necks, he made a sort of a strap affair and tied the axe securely on his back between his shoulder blades. This left his arms perfectly free for swimming, and then he and Dick set out with easy strokes for their destination across the lake. They took plenty of time and occasionally rolled over to float on their backs so that they could rest. At last, after several resting spells, which were mainly for Garry’s benefit, as Dick could have done the whole distance without fatiguing himself in the slightest, they reached the clump of birches.
Resting a few moments on the bank, they proceeded to strip a good section of bark from one of the birches. This was a simple matter, as all that was necessary to do was to cut a girdle around the tree a few inches from the bottom, and another about three feet above. Then a vertical cut was made between the two girdles, and after about twenty minutes of prying the bark from the trunk with the knife, the two taking turns at the task, they had the roll of bark neatly cut off.