Noon found them more than halfway on their journey. The pull up one of the hills had been a tough one and the horses were perfectly content to rest in the shelter of a clump of trees and munch up the oats brought along for them.
Finding another sheltered nook the two young lumbermen chopped down some brushwood and a few dry branches and soon had a roaring fire started. Over this they made themselves a pot of coffee and warmed up some of the eating brought along. It was a good meal and thoroughly enjoyed.
"What fun a fellow could have on a hunting trip for a week or two!" observed Dale. "I saw half a dozen partridges on the road and some tracks that looked like those of a deer."
"Yes, indeed, Dale. But we have got to attend to work, or our savings account won't be near as large as you want it when we reckon up in the spring." Owen said this dryly, for saving was still a sore subject with him, although for every dollar put in the box by his chum he faithfully placed another beside it.
They had brought a gun along, and kept their eyes open for the possible appearance of some big game—not wishing to waste their limited ammunition on anything small. But nothing larger than a fox appeared, and this animal lost no time in seeking cover as soon as discovered by Owen.
The end of the trip was down into a broad valley bordering a long, narrow lake. Here the road was narrow and uneven and more than once they had all they could do to keep the turnout from going over and spilling them and the contents into the snow.
"I'll get out and make sure of the path," said Owen at last, and went on ahead, with a long, sharp stick, which he stuck into the snow at every place that looked doubtful. Thus they avoided more than one dangerous hollow and reached ground as safe as it was level.
The coming of the two young lumbermen was something of an event in the Gannett camp, and those who were looking for letters crowded around eagerly. Gannett himself, a tall, thin logger, all of six feet four inches in height, greeted them cordially as he gave the hand of each a tight squeeze.
"Deownright glad to see ye," he drawled. "Guess ye had a kind of bumpin' ride a-gittin' over, didn't ye?"
"It wasn't as smooth as it might be," answered Owen.