“I have never tried sleeping on pine needles,” said Bill. “As I did not bring any mattress or blankets along, I think that this will be a good time to see how soft a bed pine needles make. My feet are sore after that walk. I am going to soak them in the river.”
They took off their shoes and soaked their swollen feet in the water. The rough ground had left its mark of blisters and rubbed spots on their feet. Neither one was wearing shoes fitted for hiking through the mountains and neither one could have walked much farther that day.
Bill picked out a place in the woods where the rocks stood out above the ground and built a fire. He had just gotten it well started when he heard a shot back in the woods.
“Did you shoot, Breene?” he called.
“Just getting my supper,” replied Breene, who appeared a few seconds later with a mountain grouse.
“That looks much better to me than the emergency ration,” said Breene, as he held the grouse up for Bill’s inspection.
They cleaned and plucked the bird, and then Bill was about to put it on a pointed stick to toast when Breene interrupted him.
“Wait a moment, Lieutenant,” said Breene. “We must have salt on our meat.”
“Where are we going to get it?” asked Bill.
“Right here,” replied Breene as he fished in his pocket.