"We are out of it," said Dale, on Wednesday evening, after a long and unsuccessful trip. "If nothing turns up by Saturday, I'll be for going to Larson's and Odell's next Monday," and so it was arranged.
But on Friday came an offer from Mr. Paxton which both accepted without hesitation. The lumberman had taken a strong liking to Dale and Owen, and now he asked them to go back to the camp that had been left, and, along with several others, begin the task of cutting a road from the old camp, across the hills to Pine Tree Lake.
"I have purchased the Roxtell claim on the lake," said Mr. Paxton, "and I want to have a good road there before we begin to cut next fall. I'll pay you the same wages that I've been paying, and twenty cents an hour for overtime, if you want to make more."
"That suits me exactly!" cried Dale. And he added to Owen: "It will give us a chance to do some hunting and fishing."
As soon as they could make a few necessary purchases the two young lumbermen started up the river once more, and ten days later found them back at the old camp and at work on the road Mr. Paxton had had marked out.
Summer was now at hand, and the weather was clear and warm. The spring had been rather wet, but since that time the rainfall had been very slight, and, as a consequence, the forest was almost as dry as tinder and getting drier every day.
"We'll have to look out for forest fires now," observed Gilroy, who had charge of the men. "Don't make a fire anywhere unless you put it out thoroughly when you are through with it."
"It's not the lumbermen you've got to caution," answered Andrews, who was also present. "It's the fool hunter who makes a fire and then moves away without giving it a second thought."
The work was hard, and during the middle of the day the men often had to knock off for an hour, for the sun beat down mercilessly, and there was not a breath of air stirring.
"Phew! but this is like an oven," said Dale.