As she spoke, she grabbed the paddle and worked with the strength that fear sometimes gives, so that she really poled the canoe across the creek to the shore where the water was quiet. But they were now on the far side of the current, in the creek that was hidden by the bluff they had passed. The distance from camp was too far for any one to hear them, even if they did shout. So they fastened the canoe and got out upon the bank.
“When Verny finds us gone, and one canoe missing, she will send the Indians out at once to hunt for us. Meantime, we may as well make a fire and get warm,” suggested Julie.
“Tally left a line and tackle in the bottom of the canoe,” announced Joan, remembering that she had caught her toe on a fish-hook when she climbed out.
“Oh, then we’re not so hard up, after all. We can catch a fish and broil it for lunch.”
“I’m fearfully hungry after all that work,” hinted Joan.
“Then you fish while I make fire with some rubbing-sticks. As soon as you land a fish, I’ll clean it with my scout knife and start broiling it. Better try upstream a ways, where the water is quiet,” said Julie.
The fire was soon blazing, and Joan managed to catch two goodly sized fish, so they ate them, and dried their uniforms at the fire at the same time. This done, they felt better. But no call from the rescuers the girls had expected, nor sign of them, came from the lake beyond the bluff.
“Jo, suppose we follow this creek a ways until we find a shallow place where we can ford. Then we can climb up to that knoll and signal with smokes.”
“We may get into all sorts of new trouble, Julie. I’d rather wait here for them.”
“I’ve got to get up and do something, Jo. I’ll go crazy sitting here waiting, with no sign from any one out there.”