“It’s further than it looks,” said Adam. “I’ve got a pretty good notion how fur we ought to walk before we strike across; but it won’t be long before we try the woods agen.”
In about ten minutes, Adam turned, and led the way toward the river. The strip of land was much narrower here than where they had crossed it before, and after a short season of scrambling and scratching and pushing over ground where it seemed as if no one had ever passed before, the river was reached. Here was a broad strip of clean sand lying between the woods and the water’s edge, but there was no house in sight.
“Isn’t this the end of the bend?” asked Phœnix.
“Yes, it’s the end of the bend,” said Adam, looking about him; “but it’s the wrong bend. I know the place now just as well as if I’d been born here. You see the river makes another bend up there, don’t you? It’s a good while since I’ve been here, and I never came to the place by the way of the sea. The house we’re after is up there. There’s no mistake this time.”
“But that must be ever so far away!” said Phil, dolefully. “The beginning of that bend is more than a mile off, I should say.”
“Yes, it’s a good piece off,” said Adam, “and I don’t believe we’d better try to make it to-night. The best thing we can do is to camp just here.”
At this the boys gave a cheer.
“That’s splendid!” said Chap. “I’d rather camp out than go to fifty houses!”
And, casting his traps on the ground, he called on all hands to go and put up the tent.
“You needn’t be in such a hurry about the tent,” said Adam. “That’s the easiest thing we have to do. After awhile me and one of you will fix up the tarpaulin between a couple of trees back here, and as it isn’t likely to rain, that’ll be all the shelter we’ll want. But the first thing to do is to get supper. Have any of you got fishin’-lines?”