Dinner was over at last, and then the boys went to the edge of the woods for a couple of strong forked stakes and a cross-stick to hang their kettle on.
"What are you setting the crotches so far from the fire for?" asked Sid.
"So they won't burn down. Besides, when you don't want your kettle on the fire, you can just slide it along; needn't take it off every time."
"Look, Wade—the sky isn't as clear as it was."
"That's so. May have rain. We must cut our bedding and lay in our wood-pile."
Plenty of small hemlock boughs were heaped on the bottom of the tent to spread their blankets on; and Sid almost rebelled at the amount of dry wood Wade insisted on piling up.
"May rain all day to-morrow, Sid. We must catch a lot of fish to-night."
"What are all these great slabs of bark for? Kindling?"
"I'll show you. It's mean work starting an open fire with wet wood."
The first day in camp was clearly a day of hard work; but the fish seemed to bite better than ever as the sun went down, and the boys had each a capital "string" before supper-time.