“We ought to look around for the boats before it gets too dark,” suggested Gif. “We can fix up things indoors any time.”
“Suppose we divide the work,” suggested Jack. “I and some of the others can fix up the house while you and the rest look for the boats.”
This plan was carried out, and Jack and the twins remained indoors to do what they could toward straightening out the bungalow while the others went outside to hunt for the missing rowboats.
To rearrange the interior of the bungalow was no mean matter, for a large part of the furniture was heavy and they had to be careful first of all that they did not damage some of the canned goods which were scattered in all directions.
“We’ll pick up the apples and potatoes and onions first,” ordered Jack. “And then we can go at the canned stuff and the meat and things like that.”
“We’ll have to find the lamps first,” said Andy. “It’s getting dark.”
The hunt for the three lamps took some time. They were finally located, minus the chimneys, in the oven of the stove. The chimneys they discovered on the back of a pantry shelf.
“Fine thing to put those lamps in the oven!” snorted Randy. “Suppose we had built a fire there! That kerosene might have exploded.”
“Yes. And anyway we’ll have to clean that oven out. Otherwise it may have a kerosene smell to it when we try to bake something,” added his brother.
Lighting the lamps and placing them where they might not be knocked over, the three boys set to work with a will and inside of half an hour had salvaged all of the eatables. Then they commenced to place the furniture in shape and picked up the bedding and their clothing.