"That is a bargain—I'll take it," said Miss Miller.
The meat was given to different girls and the wagon continued down the road, while the Band returned to the Bluff, Miss Miller carrying a large enamelled pot Mrs. Sherwood gave her as they passed the back-door.
"How did the pot happen to be down at Sherwoods'?" asked Zan wonderingly.
"Mrs. Sherwood says she generally uses it for boiling jelly to send to your mother. It is large and doesn't scorch as easily as a tin or copper kettle."
At camp the Guide placed the purse in her tent and then called Hilda to come to the fire-place with her. "You saw me build a fire the other day, so I want you to do it now. I will have to hunt for a stronger cross-stick to hold the soup-pot. When water and all this meat is in, it will be heavy for the small stick we are now using."
In a short time, Miss Miller came back to the Bluff with a satisfactory piece of wood in her hand. The girls were watching Hilda trying to light the fire without success.
After a short examination of the cause, the Guide said, "You haven't cleaned out the ashes from this morning."
"But you left your ashes in the other day," said Hilda.
"Ah, but that was when we first began our fire-pit. A small quantity of ashes always makes a better heater. But too much of anything is worse than none!"