THE FIRST DAY OF THE OUTING
As my old readers know, the distance to Lake Cameron in an air
line was about ten miles, but the river was a winding one and
this added three miles to the journey. Beyond the town the banks
of the stream were lined with farms, orchards and patches of dense
woods, a beautiful outlook and one which the boys thoroughly enjoyed
as they rowed along. They passed Simon Lundy's farm---where they
had once had such a curious happening when after apples, as related
in "_Four Boy Hunters_," and then continued along under the overhanging
branches of some willows, where it was shady and cool.
"Do you think Jack Voss spoke the truth when he said he was going to
Lake Narsac?" queried Shep, after he had turned his oars over to Snap.
"It may be true---although Jack knows how to blow," answered Snap.
"If he goes out it will most likely be with Ham and Carl and that
crowd," put in Whopper. "They always travel together."
"I'd like to know how Ham and Carl feel this morning, cried Giant.
"Most likely pasty," answered the doctor's son, and this made the
others laugh.
"If that crowd should take it into their heads to go to Lake Narsac
I hope they don't camp near us," went on Snap, after a pause.
"They'll try to bother us all they can, you can rest assured, of
that," said Whopper. "They seem to live for nothing else."
"Well, we can give them as good as they send, can't we?" asked Giant.
"I'm not afraid of 'em."
"Of course we're not afraid of them," returned Whopper hastily.
To reach Lake Cameron the young hunters had to take to a side
stream lined on either side with blackberry and elderberry bushes.
They resolved to push on to the lake before stopping for lunch.
Then they would row to the head of the lake, camp there over night,
and the next day strike out for Firefly Lake. Here they would put
in another day, and then embark for Lake Narsac.
They found Lake Cameron and its shores just as beautiful as during
the previous summer. To be sure, the portion that had been burnt
down during the great forest fire looked black and desolate but
only a small portion of this territory was to be seen from the
boat. They passed along the shore opposite and put in at a little
cove that looked particularly inviting.
"I'm as hungry as a bear!" cried Whopper. "I can eat about a
hundred sandwiches, ten pieces of pie, and any other old thing that
happens to be handy."
"Jed Sanborn was telling me he had seen some wild ducks up here last
week," said the doctor's son. "If they are around we must keep our
eyes peeled for them. They are pretty scarce."
All of the boys wanted coffee, and so some wood was gathered and a
campfire started, over which they made the beverage. Snap and
Whopper prepared the midday meal and while they did this Giant and
the doctor's son got their rods, cast in their lines, and tried
their luck at fishing.
"First prize!" called out Shep, in a few minutes, and drew in a
small perch.
"If we can get enough, we might have fish for lunch," suggested
Whopper.
"Better keep them for supper," answered Snap. "We'll be good and
hungry by night."
"As if I wasn't hungry enough now," growled Whopper.
Shep caught three perch hand running while Giant did not get a nibble.
The small member of the club was somewhat disappointed, but suddenly
there came a tug that almost pulled him into the lake.
"Got something!" he sang out. "Must be a whale!"
"Maybe it's a maskalonge!" sang out Whopper. "Want any help?"
"No," was the reply, and then Giant began to play his catch with
the skill of a natural born fisherman. Soon came a deft swing of
the fishing rod and out on the grassy bank landed a lake pickerel
of good size.
"A pickerel!" cried Snap. "And a beauty."
"That's better than my three perch," was Shep's comment. "Giant,
you're the fisherman of this club and no mistake."
The two boys continued to fish, both before lunch and after, and
when they finally wound up their lines they had nine perch, two chub
and two pickerel---certainly a very respectable haul.
"That means fish for both supper and breakfast," was Snap's comment.
"They'll taste fine, too, coming right out of the water."
Having put away the things used in getting lunch, the four boy
hunters embarked once more, and the journey along the shore of Lake
Cameron was resumed. As they had not a great distance to go, to
reach the other end of the sheet of water, they took their time,
watching the trees and bushes for a possible sight of game.
"There are your wild ducks," cried Whopper, after half a mile had
been covered.
He pointed inland, to where there was a clearing among the trees,
probably some marshy spot. Several wild ducks were settling down,
and in a few seconds they were out of sight.
"Want to go ashore?" asked Giant, who was rowing.
"I don't think so," answered Snap. "Perhaps we'll see some of them
on the lake."
"I see three now!" called Whopper softly, and pointed almost dead
ahead.
"Turn the boat into the bushes," ordered the leader of the club,
and Giant did as commanded. Snap was already reaching for a shotgun,
and Whopper and Shep did likewise.
The wild ducks had settled on the bosom of the lake and were paddling
in the direction of the rowboat. They came on slowly, however, and
the young hunters could scarcely wait until they got within gunshot.
Giant still had the oars and now he dropped one rather loudly on the
bow. At once one of the ducks took alarm and arose in the air.
"They are flying away!" yelled Shep, and raised his shotgun. Bang!
spoke the weapon, and reports from the two other firearms followed.
One of the ducks came down heavily, while a second fluttered around
badly wounded. The third flew off, apparently untouched.
"We must get that second one!" cried Snap, and fired once more.
But the wounded duck had reached the cover of some bushes and was
not hit again. The rowboat was hastily turned in the direction and
Snap and Whopper leaped ashore. Then the duck tried to fly but a
shot from Whopper's firearm laid it low. Soon the boys had both
ducks on board and were examining the game.
"They are pretty plump," was Snap's comment, and he uttered the
words with satisfaction.
"Not so bad for the first day's record," said Giant. "Fish and
ducks."
"Now if we could only get some squirrels, a few rabbits, a deer,
and three or four bears---" began Whopper.
"Do you want to bring down everything within ten miles the first day?"
demanded the doctor's son.
"I believe if Whopper was hunting lions he'd want to bring down a
dozen the first clip," was Snap's comment. "Let me tell you there
will be many days when we won't bring down a thing."
"Oh, I know that," answered Whopper. "I was only fooling. Say, it
will be fine to have roast duck for dinner to-morrow, eh?" And he
smacked his lips.
"Duck, stuffed with sage and onions!" murmured Giant, patting himself
in the region of the stomach.
"No stuffings in this," cried the doctor's son. "I just want pure
duck---a nice brown leg,---yum."
"Say, you make me duck-hungry already!" cried Whopper. "Let's go on,
unless we are going to stay here for the rest of the day."
Once again the oars were taken up, and with scarcely a sound they
moved along the shore of the lake. The sun was now well over to the
hills in the west, and the trees along the shore cast long shadows
over the rippling surface.
"No use of talking, such a spot as this is a regular Paradise," was
Snap's comment. "I can tell you, there isn't anything like a life
in the open!"
"Especially when it rains," suggested Giant.
"Or when you're caught in a blizzard," added Shep. "Do you remember
that blizzard last Christmas?"
"Will we ever forget it," answered Giant. "Just the same, what
Snap says is true---give me such an outing as this every time.
Some fellows are always hankering after the city---but I never did."
An hour later the young hunters reached the end of the lake, where
a small, rocky watercourse joined that body of water to Firefly
Lake. Here they went into camp, pitching their tent in a convenient
spot among the trees. Over a bright campfire they cooked some
of the fish to a turn, and took their time eating the meal. Then
they sat around and chatted, and Giant told his chums something
which interested them not a little.