"Yes, if we only did!" murmured Giant.
It was so pleasant in the shade that none of the boys could get up ambition enough to go on until they had taken a nap. Then they went up a hill slowly, carrying their coats over their shoulders.
"If it's hot here, what must it be in town?" said the doctor's son.
"About ninety in the shade!" cried Snap.
At the top of the hill they took another rest. Here there was a little breeze, for which they were thankful.
"There is the lake!" cried Giant, pointing to a sheet of water below them. "One good thing, it will be easier going downhill than it was coming up."
"I vote we go in for a good swim when we reach the lake," said Snap.
"What do you say, Shep?"
"I'd rather get to that cabin, before it is too late. But I'll take a ten-minutes' dip, if you wish."
So it was agreed, and the boys hurried through the woods to the lake shore in a pleasant frame of mind.
"Listen!" cried Snap presently. "What's that—-a dog?"