“Thanks,” spoke Fatty advancing, while Hopper, sensing that the three boys were friends, wagged his tail harder than ever and curled up in a bunch of grass. “This is swell,” went on the stout lad. “I hoped I’d find you before morning so I could camp with you. I have my own blanket,” he added, showing a roll.
“Did you have anything to eat?” asked Dick whose thoughts always seemed to be on food.
“Oh, yes. I brought some along when I started out last evening. But it’s all gone now. If you fellows are going to eat again—of course maybe I should have brought more—but if you are going to eat again—”
“Not until morning,” Teddy announced. “And that won’t be for another six hours,” he added, looking at his wrist watch and noting it was shortly past midnight.
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Fatty good-naturedly. “I can wait. I have some chocolate candy I can eat.” He began chewing on this as he arranged his blanket on the ground.
“But how did you know we were here?” asked Joe as he and his two chums stretched out again to go to sleep.
“I went over to your house, Teddy,” said the fat boy. “Your mother said you were over this way and intended to camp out all night. So I packed up my outfit, got Hopper and came along. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Glad to have you,” welcomed Teddy. “Maybe you will bring us good luck.”
Nothing further disturbed the boys that night. They were up early and breakfast was soon being cooked. Fatty Nolan insisted on helping to gather wood and carry water. The boys noticed he had a rope looped to his belt.
“That’s my lasso in case we see the deer,” Fatty explained.