“It’s just possible,” put in Bennie.
“I may be fat, but I can keep goin’ as long as any of you, I guess!”
“You may not be so fat when we get back,” Uncle Billy went on. “I think it would be a great idea to give Bennie some regular exercise, about tomorrow, also the day after, and the day after that. We’ll hike over to the base of Mount Scott, because that’s the highest point around here, packing our blankets and grub. Then the second day we’ll climb Scott, and the third day we’ll hike back again.”
“Ho, that’s no hike at all, if you take three days for it!” Bennie said. “I been looking on the map. It’s less ’n ten miles from here to the top of the mountain, and the top is only 8,938 feet high, so it’s only a 2,000-foot climb.”
“How much better you know this country than I do,” said his uncle, quietly, “and how skilfully you can read the contour intervals on a map. Well, you may go over and back the same day, if you want to. The rest of us will take three, however.”
Bennie turned red. “I—I guess I’m a dumb-bell,” he stammered.
“It’s just possible,” Dumplin’ put in, while the rest shouted with mirth at the hit.
Spider, meanwhile, had gone to his pack and got out the government topographical survey map of Crater Lake Park.
“Do we go along the rim?” he asked.
“More or less. We’ll have to climb part way up Garfield, and then find a way down on the other side, and work along back of Dutton Cliff to Kerr Valley.”