“I thought you were,” said Notty, very meekly; “and,” he continued, “so did all the other boys.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Paul, laughing heartily. “What made you think so, fellows?”
“Benny told us,” explained Ned.
“Benny?” exclaimed Paul. “What put that fancy into your head?”
“I—I dreamed it,” said Benny, almost ready to cry for shame and disappointment.
“And you told all the other boys?”
“Yes, I believed it; I really did, or I never would have said it.”
Then Paul laughed again—a long, hearty laugh it was, but no one helped him. Most of the boys felt as if in some way Paul had cheated them. As for Ned Johnston, he evidently did not believe Paul, for he began to ask questions.
“If you’re not an Indian, how do you know so much about a birch canoe?”
“Why, I’ve seen dozens of them in Maine, where I used to live; the Indians make them there.”