Afterwards they lay about the camp and told stories, joked and even sang school songs. Nick seemed in no great hurry to take up the task that awaited him. He knew from former experiences just what it meant. But that the subject was on his mind all the while was made manifest from what he said.
“Jack, I want to ask you a question!” he began.
“Well, fire away, then,” suggested the other, with a nod of invitation.
“If, now, this fellow at the end of my line turns out to be so heavy that I just can’t budge him, when I get the chump at the edge of the water, would it be breaking the rules if I borrowed that block and tackle to help yank him out, so you can all see him, and estimate his weight?”
“How about that, fellows?” asked Jack, looking around with a wink toward the other chums.
“Why, of course he can make use of any means, so long as no other person lends a hand to assist him,” George gave as his opinion.
“That’s what!” Josh added.
“If he goes and gets the falls and fixes the whole blooming business himself, of course he’s got the right to do it,” declared Herb.
“And I do be saying that it’s a clever schame, that does Nick credit,” was the verdict of Jimmy.
“That settles it, then, Nick,” Jack decided. “It’s unanimous, you hear; and if you want, you can go and get the block and tackle arranged right now.”