With the responsibility of breakfast on his shoulders Billy Worth was the first astir. The sun was well up and all the woodland was merry with the songs of birds. Robins piped musically from the old rail fence. Bobolinks, jays, bluebirds, chattering blackbirds and even crows added their voices to the odd combinations of melody. In some not distant pasture a boy was calling loudly as he drove up the cows.
Into the cool, clear brook where the swift current eddied among some stones, Billy plunged hands and arms elbow deep. He dashed the water over his face with a half-shiver and ran to the towel left hanging over night on the steering wheel.
"You fellows going to get up?" he inquired abruptly.
"Yep! Right away!" came the response from Phil, and with a reluctant sigh he sat up and looked about him. From Dave and Paul came no answer.
"I'm going to get a bucket of water at the creek. I'll be back here in about a minute, and anybody who's not up is going to get ducked! So there's fair warning!" announced Mr. Worth. There was a note of determination in his voice.
Maybe Billy even hoped the two still stretched snugly in their blankets would fail to take him at his word. He would soon show them whether he meant what he said or not, he thought. But by the time he reached the brook Dave rose slowly and stretched himself. Seeing this, young Mr. Worth lost no time.
Half filling the small bucket, he raced back to camp. The distance was only a few yards. Two more quick steps and he would have reached the prostrate Paul; but suddenly as if shot from a gun that young gentleman leaped to his feet.
"Just saved yourself!" laughed Worth, making a move with the bucket as if he thought a little cold water judiciously applied might be a good thing anyway.
"Well, you want to remember that I gathered all the stuff for the smudge last night, and I need my rest," said Jones with a half injured air but with a sly smile, too.
"Well, that's so! Five minutes' work does quite exhaust some people," Billy returned with friendly sarcasm. "If you could possibly wiggle a little firewood up this way and Phil will get the grub out while Dave puts the blankets and things away, I'll see if we can't have a light collation in the shape of breakfast."