Of course they had coffee and tea, sugar, biscuits, bacon, salt pork, beans, rice, some canned goods and like things. And at McNab’s they had been fortunate enough to lay in quite a supply of butter and fresh eggs, that might last through half of their expected two weeks in the woods.
By the time darkness began to gather the shelter for the night had been completed, and they clustered around the fire intending to take things easy, as well as eagerly sniff the tempting odors that were beginning to permeate the neighboring atmosphere.
“Now is the chance to tell us, Phil, what under the sun you have in that big package you got from New York City before we left home,” suggested X-Ray, who did not like to have anything that was connected with a mystery go long unexplained.
“Well, I suppose I had better keep my promise,” laughed Phil, starting to cut the cords that bound the package in question; “or else you will have a fit. There never could be a secret when you were around.”
“Oh! I don’t know about that,” muttered X-Ray, giving Phil a wink, and then looking blandly toward the unconscious Ethan who did not dream that he was concerned in the matter in the least.
“Well, these are some of the concentrated foods that are used by prospectors and Arctic explorers, who can carry but a small pack on their backs, and yet may starve to death for all the game they can get. They are splendid in their way, I’m told, though I must confess that outside of the condensed milk and the soups I never tasted any of these things. I know what they are, though.”
The boys commenced examining the various articles for themselves.
“Now tell me what the dickens erbswurst can be?” demanded Ethan as he took up a strange roll that must have weighed several pounds, and looked like a sausage.
“Oh! that’s in common use in Germany, especially in the army. It is made of concentrated pea-meal ready to use, and with other vegetables, and some dried meat mixed in with it. You can eat it as it is, or made into a soup it is very fine, and will sustain life better than almost any other thing you could find.”
“And what is this queer looking can that has a label telling that it is self-heating; explain to me how can that be?” asked X-Ray Tyson.