“Don’t you hold back on my account,” Rex said. “I’m a pretty good walker and if I get winded, I’ll let you know.”
Jack knew that Rex was game, but he also realized the truth of Bob’s statement, so he set a slower pace than he would have taken had they been by themselves. Still they made good time, considering the big hill which they had to climb. Rex was puffing, as Jack declared, like a young porpoise, by the time they reached the top and he laughingly acknowledged the indictment.
“Guess I’m too fat,” he laughed as he leaned against a tree.
They rested for a while before starting down the hill, and after that Rex seemed to get his second wind and it was only a little past ten o’clock when they reached the bank of the stream where Bob had taken his plunge two days before. The ice had, in the meantime, gone out of the stream and the lake as well.
“How, in the world, are we ever going to get across?” Jack asked as he gazed at the swollen stream, the waters of which were rushing madly by.
“That seems to be the main question, just at present,” Bob agreed as he threw his pack to the ground and slowly scratched his head. “If it was summer we could wade across, but believe me that water is mighty wet and cold. I know, because I tried it,” and he told Rex of his experience on the up trip.
“Do you know how far it would be to go around it?” Rex asked.
“No, but judging from its size here, it would be a good many miles,” Bob replied.
“Well, there’s only one way so far as I can see,” Jack declared.
“Well, spring it,” Bob said.