“And I’d like to get my clothes dry,” added Fred. “I’m sort of cold.”
Once more they set sail on the Balsam without having caught sight of a single occupant of the camp they had just visited. The sun was now shining brightly and the sky was as blue as ever. No trace of the recent storm remained to mar the beautiful day. It was not long before all four boys were in excellent spirits again and their appetites became keener with each passing moment.
Landing on the point where they had decided to eat their luncheon, they quickly set about making preparations for the meal. A fire was soon started and with every one assisting, the meal was quickly under way.
“How soon will it be ready, Grant?” asked George of the cook.
“Oh, in half an hour.”
“Come on then, String,” exclaimed George. “Let’s go back into the woods here and see if we can’t find some berries or something.”
“Don’t get lost,” warned Grant. “Fred and I are too hungry to spend a lot of time looking for you, you know.”
“Don’t worry about us,” laughed John. “We’ll be gone only a few minutes.”
Leaving Grant and Fred busy with the cooking the two boys plunged into the woods and disappeared from view. The trees were still dripping from the heavy rain, but the fragrant odor of spruce and balsam was stronger than ever. The thick carpet of pine needles under their feet was wet, so that their advance was noiseless.
Suddenly, up from its hiding place almost under their feet, a grouse arose with a roar and whirr of wings. Booming off through the trees it quickly disappeared from view leaving the forest as silent as before. The spell of it was on the two young campers as they stood still and gazed all about them. The green leafy aisles of the woods stretched in all directions around them most beautiful and inviting to the eye. A catbird whined from a nearby tree, but otherwise all was still.