Without waiting for any more explanations the two men who had been called Steve and Joe hastened out to the carcass of the grizzly and soon returned with large slices of bear steak. Ben brought the broiler out of one of the tents and the men set to work cooking their suppers. They seemed rather handy at the task for city men.
While the steak was cooking, Ben made an extra large and extra strong supply of coffee and brought out tin dishes from the box where they kept their table furniture. The visitors eyed preparations for supper eagerly. Now and then one of them turned his eyes in the direction of the aeroplanes but made no comment.
“My, but that steak smells good!” exclaimed Dick. “I don’t believe I can wait for it to cook through, Joe,” he added, “so you just smoke up a piece, giving an imitation of a restaurant steak, and I’ll eat it raw.”
“It won’t be long now,” Joe answered with a laugh.
“Long?” repeated the other. “A quarter of a second seems longer to me now than all the time that has elapsed since Noah marched his menagerie out of the ark!”
“How long have you been in the valley?” asked Ben.
“All night, I think,” Dick replied. “We saw the slope on the east and mistook it for the one at the foot of which our camp is situated. The farther we walked the farther the cliff looked to be. Honest,” the man went on, with a whimsical smile, “I believe the cliff can travel faster than we can. Most remarkable country, this!”
Long before the steaks were thoroughly cooked the men fell to, eating like persons who had been deprived of food for many days.
“You’re the second party of hungry men we met to-night,” Ben said.
The three looked up instantly with something more than interest showing in their faces. Then, as if by common consent they turned toward the aeroplanes.