“What, your legs?” exclaimed Toby, jeeringly; “why, I didn’t know we were going to be treated to roast mutton today, did you, Jack?”
Steve took a peep.
“Believe me, they’re beginning to turn a light brown already; and say, they look as light as any Mary Ann ever made at our house,” was his joyous announcement.
He seemed to act as though the fate of nations depended on the successful issue of his first camp baking. Indeed, Toby was secretly almost as 139 much concerned as Steve, for he dearly loved hot biscuits, and counted himself a pretty good judge of them.
To dismiss the subject, it may be said that Steve’s experiment turned out to be a success. Jack congratulated him on making such dainty biscuits; while Toby declared that the proof of the pudding lay in the eating; and the fact that he was making such desperate inroads on the stack that graced the dish in the center of the table showed his appreciation.
So Steve was made very happy, and readily promised that there would be no lack of fresh bread while the stock of flour held out, and that dandy little stove was in working order.
The afternoon proved terribly long to all of them. Sometimes they would take turns at dozing, for the patter of the rain among the leaves, and on the canvas above their heads, made a sort of lullaby that induced sleep. Several times the rain would die out for a short time, only to make a fresh start again after exciting false hopes.
“Well,” observed Jack, as evening drew on apace, “we might have been a whole lot worse off. The tent hasn’t leaked a drop, that I’ve noticed; and thanks to the stove we’ve been comfortable enough. Let’s hope it’ll rain itself out during the night, and give us a chance to get moving tomorrow.”
This did not prove to be the case, for it turned out to be one of those easterly storms that usually 140 last the better part of three days, with almost a constant downpour, though not very heavy at any time.
When another day came, it was still dark and gloomy, though not raining just then. They managed to get a chance to stretch themselves outside before it set in again. Steve was the one who did most of the complaining, though Toby grumbled quite a bit also.