"No wonder nobody comes here," grumbled Whopper. "It's nothing but a swamp."
"This can't be Lake Narsac," answered Snap. "Don't you remember what we heard—-that it is a very deep lake, set right in among the mountains. We have made a mistake."
"I see something ahead," said Giant, who was standing in the bow. "It looks to me like a signboard. Let us row up to it."
"A signboard is just what we want," said Snap, and took up the oars. Soon they reached the board, which was nailed to a post set on one of the reedy islands. The board read as follows:
Hooper's Pond S. Hooper, Owner No campingers allowe
"Hooper's Pond!" cried Snap. "We certainly have made a mistake!"
"'No campingers allowed,'" read the doctor's son. "His spelling and grammar are not very strong but he knows what he means."
"Well, we don't want to camp here," said Whopper in disgust. "Mr.
S. Hooper can keep his pond to himself and welcome."
"I think we'll have to camp here for to-night," said Shep. "We can't go back to where we took lunch with darkness coming on. And I am hungry, too."
They were all hungry and tired, and after a brief talk decided to remain at the pond over night and in the morning retrace their way to where the stream had forked.