The next Saturday they spent on the river; and as it was too late in the season for ducks, they took their fishing-rods with them.
The perch and rock bass were biting finely, and Oscar caught a good-sized string; while Sam, who wanted to talk and did not care much for fishing anyway, reclined at his ease on one of the thwarts and watched his friend as he drew in the shining beauties.
On Monday of the third week Oscar bade his mother and Sam good-by and set out for Yarmouth.
He had already been there to report his arrival to the committee, and it was by the permission of the secretary that he took his two weeks' vacation.
He knew that he had brought back a goodly number of specimens (he had secured a great many that we did not speak of in "The Camp in the Foot-Hills," for the reason that there was no incident worthy of note connected with their capture), but he was really surprised when he saw the boxes that were piled in the museum.
It took Oscar a long time to put his specimens in shape. It was particular work, and as he knew that it would stand as long as the museum did, he was careful that it should be done well.
No one saw him at his labor except the students and the faculty; and the young taxidermist sometimes wished that they would keep out of his hearing, especially President Potter, who gave such entertaining lectures on the nature and habits of the various animals comprising the collection that Oscar was always obliged to stop and listen to him.
Still these interruptions were not without benefit to him.
He learned more about natural history during those brief lectures than he had ever learned before in all his life. It was a joyous day for Oscar when, after almost seven months of steady work, he put away his tools and bent his steps toward his boarding-house, leaving the museum in charge of some of the students, who were busy decorating it in readiness for a "hoe-down," as they called it, that was to come off there that night.