“Perfectly. And he said he could open it without one. What’s the joke?”
Nick cast his hands aside hopelessly. “What’s the use? What’s the use?” he demanded. “Come on and let’s paddle. I’m sta-a-arved!”
“How about getting back for supper?” inquired Jimmy. “It’s ’way after five now.”
“We get lost or we have an upset or something,” rejoined Nick carelessly. “We discussed that, but I forget now just what we decided.”
“That’s all right for you,” objected Jimmy as he and Dud swung their craft around, “but what about us? We can’t all get upset?”
“Why not?” asked Nick, reaching for his paddle. “There’s plenty of water, isn’t there?”
“But, I say, Nick,” remonstrated Hugh, “if we tell them we were upset we’ll have to get our clothes wet, eh?”
“Um, that’s so. I hadn’t thought of that. Oh, well, never mind now. We’ll think up something going back.”
“We might let the canoes get away from us and have to chase them,” suggested Dud.
“Perfect!” applauded Nick. “Baker, you have a great mind. Tell you what, my hearties. After we get to the willows we’ll carelessly let the canoes get away, see? Then we’ll catch ’em further downstream. They won’t ask us how far we had to chase ’em. Even if they do we can be vague.”