“How about it?” Bob shouted, as he again appeared in the doorway.
“Got one,” Jack called back. “I’ll be up in a minute.” And picking up the largest trout, a splendid specimen, weighing not less than five pounds, he waded through the snow to the cabin.
“He’s a beauty and no mistake,” Bob declared as his brother held the fish up for his inspection. “Too bad you didn’t get some more like him.”
“Who said I didn’t?” Jack grinned. “If we can scare up something to put them in, I’ll show you a dozen more nearly as big as this fellow.”
“Do you mean it?” and Bob caught his brother by the arm and for a moment the two boys gave a good imitation of an Indian war dance as they leaped about the room.
After a short search Jack found an old gunny sack which he declared would fill the bill, and leaving Bob to dress the trout he hurried back for the rest of the catch.
Except for their electric flashlights, the only source of illumination they were able to find was a single bit of candle about three inches long. But so happy were they in knowing that they had plenty of food, they made the best of it without a murmur, and in another half hour supper was ready. To be sure they had no salt, their supply of that article having been lost in the havoc which the wolves had wrought with the pack. Still they had a small amount of bacon left and by using a small amount of it the fish, although a bit flat, was, as Jack declared, “not half bad and a whole lot better than nothing at all.”
As soon as supper was over and the few dishes cleaned up, they put out the candle, of which not much more than an inch remained, and for perhaps an hour they sat and talked by the light which came from the open door of the stove.
“I’m going to do a little deducing,” Bob announced after he had filled the stove as full as possible. “While you were fishing I hunted around a bit, and over there in the corner I found two pint bottles which, by the smell, have had whiskey in them not long ago. It’s fair to think that they belonged to Nip and that he drank the contents. As there were two of them he must have drank over a pint from the time he got here till he left, and if he did the chances are that he didn’t get a very early start this morning.”
“You are deducing, if I get you right, that Nip isn’t very far ahead of us, aren’t you?” Jack asked as Bob paused.