"So do I," grinned Nat.
"You fellows talk so much I can't sleep," grumbled Dave.
"It's ten o'clock! Did you catch that?—t-e-n o'clock!"
"Wouldn't care if it was twelve," and Dave snuggled under the covers again.
In a short time, all but the stout boy had gathered around the fire, and it was not until another half hour had passed that he appeared, blinking and yawning.
"Thought you fellows might eat all the breakfast," he said.
"I'm sorry we didn't—so as to teach you a lesson," returned Bob.
When the meal was over, all hands set to work on the second hut, and when lunch time arrived, it was well under way.
In the early afternoon, Bob Somers, accompanied by Sam and Dick, set off. They ascended the hill, which was thickly wooded, making their way around the underbrush and huge snow-drifts.
At the top, they paused to look around. A succession of rolling hills stretched off to the limits of view. In the grip of the snow king, the country looked barren and wild. Here and there a tree higher than its neighbors outlined its black, gaunt limbs against the sky.