As the girls caught the idea, their spirits began to soar and they worked feverishly. After the first shock of their discovery that the cabin which was to have served as their camp for the summer was no cabin at all but merely a heap of sodden ashes, they began rather to enjoy the new turn of affairs.
This was romance and adventure of the highest order, and with Betty’s resourcefulness and wit to do away with obstacles, they certainly intended to make the most of the circumstances.
They buried the short stakes in the ground at regular intervals, fastening them the same as they had the center one, and then, when all was in readiness, Betty, with Mollie’s help, stretched the tarpaulin over the supports.
By making small holes in the latter and passing pieces of stout rope through them and around the supports, the girls finally completed a job of which they were justly proud.
Ropes were also stretched from two of the smaller supports to the trunks of trees, and Betty fastened the loose end of the tarpaulin back with a safety pin, making an admirable flap.
“Pretty neat, for amateurs,” chuckled the Little Captain, when everything was done that could be done to make the improvised little tent secure and water tight. “It will give us shelter for the night anyway, and to-morrow we can think of something better to do.”
“Looks pretty nifty to me,” said Mollie, regarding their handiwork with intense satisfaction. “I reckon the boys themselves couldn’t have made a better job, considering the tools we had to work with.”
“Humph,” said Grace, “I bet they couldn’t have done as well.”
“My, we don’t like ourselves or anything, do we?” laughed Betty. “Now suppose, instead of patting ourselves on the back, we get busy and make a fire. I reckon we could stand a little something to eat.”
“I’ll go back to the Gem and get some of the supplies,” volunteered Amy, adding, as she started off: “Somebody’d better help me though. It’ll be quite a job.”