The meal over they repaired to the tent to enjoy themselves. As the evening was rather cold they heaped leaves at the end of the tent to keep out the wind and built a good big fire in front of it. Under that little flap of canvas it was warm as toast. In this cozy little retreat they spent the evening telling yarns and discussing the plans for the rest of the trip. When the last of the apples had been disposed of they remodeled the fire for the night, and rolling in their blankets they were soon lost to the world. In spite of all the predictions for a sleepless night for Scott he was the first one asleep and the last one to wake up in the morning.
CHAPTER VIII
Greenleaf rolled the others out in the morning while it was still dark and breakfast was disposed of in short order. It was a repetition of the morning before except that pancakes and bacon were added to the menu. As soon as the dishes were rubbed clean in the sand from the river bed and the packs made up the party was again on the trail.
They made good time the second day in spite of the slight soreness in their necks and backs from the unaccustomed packs, light though they were. By night they had covered twenty-five miles and camped within sight of the lights of Red Wing. Scott was delighted with the active part he was already able to take in the preparations for the night. The wind blowing steadily in their faces all day had made them very sleepy. Within an hour after they had finished their supper they were all asleep in their blankets.
By night they had camped within sight of the lights of Red Wing.
Saturday morning they felt better than ever—for the second day of a walking trip is always the hardest—and started out in splendid spirits. Entering Red Wing just as the grocery stores were opening they tarried only long enough to replenish their food supply. The boys were jealous of every minute they had to spend in town. The cliffs were on the west bank of the river now and they looked far out across the broad bottom lands of the Wisconsin shore to the hills in the distance. Later in the day they came to Lake Pepin and enjoyed the change of scenery. Scott explained the geological significance of the great lake in the course of the Father of Waters and it took on a new interest to them.
In the evening they were well within reach of Wabasha and knew that they could “take it easy” the next day. They lounged around the fire in luxurious ease for several hours spinning yarns before they piled the fire with green wood for the night and turned in.
Early morning found them tramping gaily along the river bank, their packs lightened of nearly all the provisions and their minds happy in the freedom of movement which came with the third day of the walking trip. They felt primed for any adventure and it was not long till they had one which furnished them with more excitement than they had bargained for.
They had stopped to throw stones at a bottle which was bobbing down the current when Greenleaf, who had spent one spring on the “drive” (floating the winter cut of logs to the mill), discovered a couple of logs hung on the shore near them. He had learned after many a ducking, to ride a log in the water, and seizing a pole lying on the shore, succeeded in shoving off the log into deep water and jumping on it. It was a dangerous proceeding for without the long spikes, or driving calks, in the shoes a log is very hard to handle, especially when it has been hung up along the shore for a long time and become coated with a layer of mud. But Greenleaf had had plenty of training in this business and with the aid of the long pole rode the log down the swift current as steadily as though it were a mud scow. The others kept pace with him along the shore cheering vociferously. At last Greenleaf tired of the fun and yielded to the entreaties of the others to let them try it.