“Well, I’m glad I lugged that grub,” said Bennie. “’Bout three o’clock, though, I would have dumped the whole pack over the rim for two cents.”
“Me, too,” said Dumplin’. “Gosh, this hiking is hard work! Don’t see much adventure in it. Here we’ve come about eight or nine miles, and took us all day, and nothin’ happened.”
“What did you expect to happen?” his father asked. “Expect to meet an elephant, or have the mountain erupt?”
“Gee, I think it’s a wonderful adventure!” Spider exclaimed. “It’s been a kind of battle. I—I can’t say what I mean, but it was just the same when Bennie and I were getting up Llao Rock. We were sort of fighting up. Only instead of fighting another man, who tries to hit you back, you are fighting just—just—well, just the wilderness.”
“And it’s against you all the time,” said Mr. Stone.
Bennie had grown very thoughtful. “No, it’s not against you all the time,” he said. “Excuse me for contradicting, Mr. Stone. I don’t mean to be fresh. But the way I feel is that it’s against you if you don’t know how to meet it, but if you do know, it is always kind of putting out things to help you.”
“Such as——?” asked his uncle.
“Well, such as dead wood for a fire, and a chimney to crawl up in, if you know how, when you strike a precipice, and maybe food to eat. I bet we could find food in the roots of some of these wild flowers, if we had to.”
“Give me bacon,” said Dumplin’.
“Gee, Dump, you go to church behind your belt buckle,” said Bennie scornfully. “But I’m with Spider, though, that a hike like this is a regular adventure, ’cause it’s a sort of fight all the way, and it’s all up to you whether you get through or not. Gee, I wish I was an explorer!”