"We'll have to take care how we pitch our tent to-night," was Whopper's comment. "Unless I miss my guess, we'll have rain by to-morrow morning."

"Oh, don't say that!" cried Giant. "I don't want it to rain yet."

"It won't hold off for you or anybody else," returned Snap. "Whopper is right, we must stake our tent well and allow for the water to run off---if rain does come."

When they at last rounded the final turn and swept into Firefly Lake it was so dark they could see little or nothing ahead. But they remembered the locality and had little trouble in reaching a spot where they had camped once before. But the snows of the previous winter had played sad havoc with the fireplace they had built, and they had to build a fire in the open. While Whopper and Giant prepared a substantial supper Snap and Shep put up the tent, on a bit of high ground. Around the tent they dug a small trench, to carry off the water, should it storm.

"We want to make sure that our boat doesn't get away from us again to-night," said Whopper.

"Here is a cove---we can haul her up in that," said Snap, and this was done, and the craft was tied fast to two trees.

Having had but little sleep the night before, all the young hunters were tired out, and it was not long after getting supper that they crawled into the tent and went to sleep. On account of the wind they did not dare to leave the campfire burning, for they knew only too well how easy it is to set a forest on fire through such carelessness.

At about two o'clock in the morning Giant awoke, to find the rain coming down steadily on the tent. He crawled to the front of the shelter and looked out. All was pitch dark, and, somehow, the prospect made him shiver. The wind had gone down, and only the fall of the rain broke the stillness.

"This is lonely enough for anybody, I guess," he mused, and crawled back to his corners. "Shouldn't wonder if we have to stay in came tomorrow. But I don't care---it will give us all a chance to rest up."

He struck a match, to see how the others were faring, and as he gazed around he saw a small stream of water coming in through a hole in the tent. The stream was falling close to Whopper's head. Just then Whopper turned and the stream took him directly in the ear.

"Wh---wow!" spluttered Whopper, awakening and squirming around.

"What's the matter here? Has Niagara Falls broke loose, or who's playing the hose on me?"

The noise aroused the others, and all sat up. By this time the match had gone out, but Giant promptly struck another and then lit the camp lantern. Whopper gazed at the hole in the tent ruefully.

"That's too bad," said Snap. "We'll have to mend that, the first chance we get."

"We can't mend it to-night," answered Shep.

Gracious! Just listen to it rain!

The boys sat up for quite awhile listening to the rain, but presently they grew tired again and one after another dropped off to sleep.

Whopper found a dry spot next to Giant; and thus they rested until daylight.

It was certainly a dismal outlook that confronted them when they arose for the day. The rain was coming down steadily, and no dry firewood was to be had with which to cook breakfast.

"We should have put some wood in the tent," said Snap. "We'll know better next time."

It took a deal of coaxing to start a blaze, but once it got going to keep it up was easy. They took their time, for traveling in such a storm was out of the question. The meal over, they washed up the dishes, and then huddled down in the tent once more.

"This is the only drawback to camp life," said Snap, with a sigh.

"A storm knocks everything endways. But there is no help for it, and a fellow must take the bitter with the sweet."

The storm continued all day, and the only thing the lads did was to fish. At this they were very successful, and a fine supper of fresh lake trout put them in much better humor. They put in a peaceful night, and the next morning, the storm having cleared away, they set off for Lake Narsac.

CHAPTER XV

LOST IN THE SWAMP

"This is certainly a wilderness!"

It was Snap who uttered the words, as he stood in the bow of the rowboat, taking in the scene before him. They had left Firefly Lake five miles behind them and were on the winding stream leading to Lake Narsac. On one side of the watercourse were rough rocks and on the other a tangled ma.s.s of underbrush, backed up by rocks and tall cedars.

"A fellow could never make his way through such a woods as that,"

said Whopper, nodding in the direction of the forest. "Why, you'd tear your clothing all to pieces!"

"I can tell you one thing," put in Shep. "I think there must be plenty of game up here---if only one can get to it."

They had taken turns at rowing and poling the craft along. For the most part the poling was better than rowing, for the stream was too full of rocks to admit the free use of oars. Twice they had b.u.mped on the projections under water, once with such violence that Giant, who had been standing at the time, had almost gone overboard. Once they had to carry craft and outfit around a sharp bend. The boat had started to leak a little, but not enough to cause anxiety.

Noon found them encamped on a point of land where the stream appeared to divide into two parts, one running to the northeast and the other to the northwest. Which branch to take to get to Lake Narsac they did not know.

"This is a fine how-do-you-do!" was Whopper's comment. "I wish we had questioned Jed Sanborn about it."

"From what I thought he said I imagined there was but one stream leading to the lake," said the doctor's son.

"Perhaps there is, Shep; but which is the one?"

"Don't ask me. One looks as good as the other."

"On the map Lake Narsac is to the northwest of Firefly Lake," came from Giant. "Consequently I should say that we ought to take the stream flowing in that direction."

"That sounds reasonable," answered Snap, and the others nodded.

Coming along the watercourse they had managed to shoot several quail, of the sort known by many as partridge, and also some other birds. Shep had likewise brought down two squirrels. They had scared up several rabbits, but these had gotten away in the underbrush.

"Let us take a good rest before we go further," said Shep, while he was eating. "There is no use of our killing ourselves with rowing when we are only out for fun."

The others agreed, and as a consequence they took a nap after the meal and did not get started again until three o'clock.

They soon found the stream they were on broad but shallow, and felt sure it would lead to the lake. They kept on steadily until six o'clock, and then came to a halt at a point where the watercourse narrowed and ran between a series of jagged rocks.

"We ought to be getting to the lake pretty soon," was Snap's comment.

"Jed Sanborn told me we could make the trip from Firefly Lake in a day if we didn't fool along the way."

"Well, don't forget that we stopped for a nap," answered Whopper.

"Perhaps we'll get there before it gets dark."

Having pa.s.sed the rocks, they found the stream broadening out once more. The bottom was now muddy, and here and there grew large clumps of reeds and cattails.

"This seems to be more of a swamp than a lake," was the comment of the doctor's son. "From what Jed Sanborn said I thought it was a narrow stream all the way to the lake."

"So did I," added Giant. "I begin to feel that we have made a mistake."

"If we have, you're to blame," grumbled Whopper.