But the vehicle had been well made, and the horses were full of vim, while the venerable black man who gripped the reins was a "sticker," as he expressed it, after being once tossed out upon the back of the near horse by the sudden stoppage of the wagon.
After rather a trying experience they finally sighted a column of smoke, and, calling Toby's attention to this, Frank said:
"That's as far as we go this time, Toby."
Toby shut his eyes for a brief moment and doubtless gave thanks, for his poor old body must have been pretty well bruised by this time.
Will and Bluff had spied the wagon by now, and they shouted a noisy welcome.
"Now we're prepared for a siege, with the grub at hand," cried Bluff, dancing around with his gun held on high.
"Say, be careful with that contraption, will you? If ever it started going off not one of us would live to tell the ghastly tale," called Will, as if really and truly alarmed, which, of course, he was not.
Bluff gave him an indignant look, for it pained him to have his pet gun insulted after this rude fashion; but he was too much delighted over the coming of the supply wagon to cherish any animosity; and besides, as Frank said, he never could keep on being angry over a few minutes at a time.
Such fun they had getting that vehicle unloaded.
Then the tents had to go up, which was an operation that consumed considerable time, for Frank proved to be very exact in his way of arranging things, and would not accept any poor work.