"We'll show you a dandy place," cried Nat; "the finest you ever saw."
He led them around a wooded ridge, where they found, between this and another ridge, a bowl-shaped valley. On one side, the hill sloped gently down to the shore of the lake.
"Isn't this a place for you, though?" asked Nat.
"You were lucky to come across it," declared Bob; "and it's sheltered from the northwest wind."
"Plenty of trees—maples and spruce—just the thing for our camp."
"And no fear of a snowslide," put in Dave; "the hill isn't steep enough for that. There's only one thing—"
"What is that, Chubby?"
"A thaw might make it unpleasant."
"Oh, pshaw!" said Hackett. "Why, it's getting colder—twice as cold every other minute. Let's fall to, fellows, and build a fire."
Several of the boys unpacked a box of provisions, while Sam Randall, Tom Clifton and Dick Travers began to collect fire-wood. Armed with hatchets, they quickly got enough to start a blaze.