“Why not?” inquired Jock, quickly. “I thought you said there was fine fishing there. I should think we’d want to take our rods with us.”
“No, ye don’t want yer rods,” said Ethan, sharply. “Ye might jist as well have pipestems as them poles o’ yours. They’ll have all the rods ye want. I’ve got that all fixed for ye.”
Ethan soon afterward departed from the camp, and left the boys to themselves. For a time they talked over the exciting prospect, and at last Bob said: “It grieves me, fellows, to see you wasting your time like this. Now I feel it my duty to enlighten you as to the third expedition which Cartier made—”
But Bob got no further. With a shout his companions rose from the ground, and ran swiftly to the tent, where they at once prepared to retire. Bob soon followed, first piling the logs high upon the camp-fire, and then he too forgot all about Cartier’s third voyage of exploration.
The camp was astir early on the following morning, and as the boys were to go to Alexandria Bay to take a steamer at an hour which was early even for the early-rising Ethan, they hastily ate the breakfast of “pi’s ’n things” which the boatman had prepared before his departure on the preceding night.
As soon as this had been eaten they closed the tents, which Ethan and Tom had promised to visit daily in the absence of the boys, and ran down to the dock, where the skiff was in readiness.
“That’s too big a load,” said Ben, as he stopped before the boat in which his companions were already seated. “I’ll not go in that craft.”
“Oh, come on, Ben!” shouted Bert. “You won’t have to do any of the rowing.”
“I’m not afraid of that.”