"There, that will keep us going for a while," declared Snap. "Now let us turn all our attention to the cabin, so we can get away from Mr. Bear, if necessary."
It was no easy matter to chop down the five trees to a height of about eight feet, but once this was done cabin building began in earnest, and by nightfall they had a rude roof over the posts and had the back logged up to a height of four feet. The next day they went at the task at sunrise, finishing the back and putting in the two sides, one with a slit of a window, over which they nailed some slats, so that nothing of size might get through.
"Now this begins to look like something," declared Shep. "I am afraid the front with a door, though, is going to bother us."
"We'll work it somehow," answered Snap, confidently.
In a few days the cabin was complete and it must be confessed that the young hunters were quite proud of their work. They made a sort of mud plaster and with this filled up the chinks between the logs, and the roof they thatched with bark, so as to keep out the rain. The floor they covered with pine boughs, piling the boughs high up at the back for a big couch upon which all might rest at night. They also made a split-log bench and a rude table, from which they might eat when the weather drove them indoors. But they were not equal to building a chimney, and so continued to do their cooking outdoors.
It was well that they hurried their cabin, for the day after it was completed a heavy and cold rain set in, lasting forty-eight hours. Fortunately they had a fair supply of fish and game on hand, so nobody had to go forth while the elements raged. They built a camp-fire close to the doorway of the cabin—-under a sort of piazza top, and there took turns at cooking, and made themselves as comfortable as possible.
"This isn't so pleasant," said Whopper, as he gazed out at the rain. "I hope it doesn't last long."
"Well, we have got to take the weather as it comes," said Shep, philosophically. "We can't expect the sun to shine every day."
"I'd like it to rain during the night and be clear in the daytime."
"Want your weather made to order," laughed Giant.