"Oh, Mrs. Ba.s.swood, don't you think this would be a lovely place to have lunch?" cried Laura.

At the mention of lunch, Luke, Shadow, and Phil brought out their watches simultaneously.

"Seventeen minutes of twelve," announced the shipowner's son.

"I've got quarter of," cried Luke.

"You must both be off," put in Shadow. "I'm only fourteen minutes and a half of twelve," he announced, gravely. "Have we got to wait till twelve o'clock?" he continued, anxiously.

"I guess it'll be twelve o'clock before we get anything to eat,"

answered Mrs. Ba.s.swood, with a smile. "I think this would be just an ideal spot to rest."

"Oh, we've just got to stay here for a while, whether we eat or not!"

cried Belle. "I'm going to get out and run up on to the rocks over there," and suiting the action to the words, she leaped out of the automobile and started to make her way to the spot she had indicated.

"Look out that you don't fall over into the hollow," cautioned Dave, as he a.s.sisted Jessie and his sister to alight.

To one side of the roadway was something of a cleared s.p.a.ce, and into this the two automobiles were run. The boys got out the hampers and other things, and took them over to the spot which Belle's quick eyes had picked out. Here there was a patch of green gra.s.s shaded by several large trees, and in front of it a flat rock, beyond which was spread out a vast panorama of hills and valleys stretching for many miles.

"It's a perfect picture!" cried Jessie. "I must get a photograph of it."

"Yes. And we must take a photograph of the crowd at lunch," returned Dave.

"Let's eat before we start to take any photographs," put in Luke, who seemed to be extra hungry. "I never did look well in a picture taken before eating," and at this there was a general laugh.

While the boys brought the various things from the cars, the girls and Mrs. Ba.s.swood spread a lunch-cloth partly on the gra.s.s and partly on the flat rock, and on this placed the various good things which had been brought along.

"First call for lunch!" sang out Dave, loudly, when all was in readiness.

"I guess your first call will be the last, too, Dave!" exclaimed Jessie.

"Here! what will you have--a ham sandwich or one with chicken?"

"I think I'll try the chicken," he answered.

"Oh, don't be backward about coming forward, Dave!" cried Luke. "Why don't you try them both?"

"I will before I get through."

"We all will," declared Roger. "There is nothing the matter with this air for giving one an appet.i.te," he added. "I believe after we have been up at Bear Camp for a while we'll all be eating like wolves."

"Why not like bears, if we are going to Bear Camp?" suggested Phil.

"Say, I can't bear a joke like that!" broke in Roger.

"It was a little barefaced; wasn't it?" commented Dave.

"Oh, quit your joking, I'm hungry," pleaded Luke. And then all the young folks fell to eating with great gusto, and it must be admitted that the older heads followed suit.

The lunch lasted the best part of half an hour, and was thoroughly enjoyed by every one. Then the young people got out their cameras, and various snap-shots and time-pictures were taken, to be developed and printed later on.

"Now then, let us pack up as quickly as we can, and finish this trip,"

said Mr. Ba.s.swood, presently.

As he spoke he looked up at the sky, and the others did the same. Off to the westward they saw a number of black clouds rolling up rapidly.

"Say, Dave, that looks like a real storm to me," remarked Roger, anxiously. "What do you think of it?"

"It's a storm, all right," was the answer. "And if we don't catch it before we reach the end of our journey we'll be lucky."

[Ill.u.s.tration: AND THEN ALL THE YOUNG FOLKS FELL TO EATING WITH GREAT GUSTO.--_Page 102._]

As quickly as possible, the various things were packed up and placed in the two touring-cars. Then they started off once more, with Mr. Porter and Mr. Ba.s.swood at the steering wheels. They had covered less than five miles when they heard a rushing of wind through the woods. It seemed to come by fits and starts, but steadily increased in volume. The sky grew darker, and soon some large drops of rain fell.

"We'll have to put up the tops!" cried Dave.

The Ba.s.swood car had already come to a stop and those in it were hurrying to put up the top. As Dave unfastened the straps on the Wadsworth automobile, the drops of rain came down faster than ever.

"We didn't get that up any too soon," remarked the boy's uncle, when the job was finished.

"Hadn't I better put up the side curtains, too?" queried Dave.

"You'll have to put up everything you've got, Dave!" cried Roger. "Just look at what's coming!"

There was no need to look, for already the rain was driving in on them.

Working with all possible speed, the boys soon adjusted the curtains.

"Uncle Dunston, we can't run without chains if the road gets wet," cried Dave.

"I am going to run under yonder trees. We can put the chains on there,"

answered Dunston Porter, and they started forward once again, with the rain pelting down upon them furiously.

CHAPTER XI

FROM ONE HARDSHIP TO ANOTHER

"I guess I was right about the rain," remarked Phil, grimly, as the drops pattered unceasingly on the cover of the automobile.

"You sure were, Phil!" cried Belle. "It's coming down just as hard as ever it can."

"If only the wind would stop blowing!" said Jessie. "Do you think there is any danger of our being blown over?"

"Oh, it isn't as bad as all that," answered Dave.

A few minutes later Mr. Porter espied a suitable place under several large trees, and here he brought the touring-car to a standstill. Then the Ba.s.swood car come close alongside.