"Hold your opinion, Youngster, till your elders are heard," was Tug's rejoinder. "I vote we save 'em."
"So do I."
"And I."
"Done," says Captain Aleck. "Give us the chops for breakfast, Miss Housekeeper."
"Then supper's all ready," she said, and took her seat on a stick of wood, pouring and passing the coffee, while the eggs and the bread and butter went round. By the time the meal was finished it had become dark, but this did not matter, since there was no need to go out of doors.
"How shall I wash the dishes?" asked Katy, with a comical grin, as she rose from the table. "I couldn't bring a big pan."
"Well," suggested Aleck, "you can clean out your kettle, refill it with water—Jim, there's business for you!—and then wash them in that."
"That's a matter never bothered me much when I was camping," added Tug, dryly. "I just scrubbed the plates with a wisp of grass, and cleaned the knives and forks by jabbing 'em into the ground a few times."
While the dishes were washing Aleck opened the tent bundle, and laid the mast across two pegs that somebody had driven into the north wall of the room just under the ceiling beams, perhaps to hang fishing-poles on. Then, with Tug's aid, he tied to the mast the inner hem of the sail-cloth, which thus hung loosely against the wall, like a big curtain, shutting out every draught.
"That's splendid!" cried Katy, watching them from the end of the room where the fire was.