ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE
“Let’s turn up this side, and keep right along for an hour,” Teddy
suggested, after the canoes had kissed the waters of the lake.
“What’s the idea?” asked Dolph.
“Well, only a liking on my part to camp as much on the east shore of a
lake as I can, when I have the choice,” replied the other.
“But the storms generally come from the west,” Dolph went on to say,
“and if one hits you plumb in the face, it’s kind of disagreeable.”
“Hang the storms. One ge-lorious sunset over the water makes up for
half a dozen blows. And then, on a hot summer night, it’s nice to catch
all the cool air that stirs.”
“Perhaps you’re right, Teddy. Anyhow, we’ll risk it on your word.
To tell the honest truth, I’m that hungry right now, I don’t care a
continental where we camp, just so Amos gets one of his bully cooking
fires going.”
“Oh! it’s frogs’ legs that tempts you!” scoffed Teddy.
Dolph smacked his lips as he replied:
“In fancy I can smell them now; and after you’ve had your first taste,
chances are Amos and me, why, we’ll have to spear our share out of the
pan in a big hurry, for fear we won’t get it. There’s just one thing
troubling me.”
“What’s that?” demanded Teddy.
“Why, there’s only fourteen saddles, you see,” Dolph sighed.
“Well, goodness knows that ought to be enough,” laughed his canoe mate.
“But unfortunately it happens that fourteen doesn’t divide by three.”
“Oh! is that what you’re worrying about?” Teddy exclaimed.
“Somebody can only have four saddles,” Dolph went on. “I imagine the
poor fellow’s feelings when his appetite keeps on calling for another,
and he sees his comrades holding up a tempting morsel on their forks,
but none for him! It is a terrible thought.”
“Make your mind easy, old fellow. Never despair. See, I’m game enough
to offer myself as the victim. I’ll take just four as my portion,”
Teddy cried out.
“I refuse to accept the noble sacrifice. We’ll have to draw lots,”
said Dolph, with an air of determination; while Amos listened to the
humorous dialogue with a broad smile of appreciation on his face.
“But I mightn’t like frogs’ legs; I’ve never tried ’em before,”
insisted Teddy.
The other made a scornful gesture.
“No danger of that happening. You’ll just adore them, and I know it.
And we’ll certainly have to draw lots to see who has to curtail his
appetite.”
“Oh! well, just as you say; I don’t want to kick up any row in the
family.” Teddy concluded, with the resigned air of one who gives in in
order to keep the peace, yet still clings to his opinion.
“You went and blew that horn on me too soon,” complained Dolph.
“But the coffee was all ready,” said Teddy.
“Yes, and I’d just discovered the granddaddy of all the bull frogs. He
was sitting there, winking at me. And I could see he just loved queer
red bugs that came down to dangle in front of his nose. I make it a
rule never to disobey a call to dinner, and that’s why I failed to get
the fifteenth. Wish I’d gone back, now.”
“There’s the place for our camp, I guess,” exclaimed Teddy just then.
Both of the other canoe cruisers united in voicing their appreciation
for Teddy’s selection. Indeed, it seemed as though Nature had taken
especial pains to create an ideal site for a summer camp.
There were enough trees for shade, without interfering too much with
their view of the lake. The ground had a gentle slope that promised
them immunity from a flooded tent in case of heavy rain. And there was
the clear water of the lake within reach, for all purposes—drinking if
need be, fishing, boating and swimming.
Could anyone ask more?
There was the nicest little beach just in front, where the canoes could
be landed. And as the three lads jumped ashore, they felt satisfied
that the conditions could not possibly be improved on.
As they expected to stay in this camp for several days, it was only
natural that they should go to some little extra care in doing things.
For instance, after the tent had been raised, Teddy and Dolph took
hatchet and knife, and dug a little sluice in a crescent shape around
the side that was up the slope. This was calculated to turn any water
aside that might, during a storm, have a tendency to creep under the
tent, and wet the piece of canvas they always used as a “floor.”
Then Amos, too, used extra care in building his stone fire place. They
had a sort of gridiron arrangement along with them, which, composed of
cross sections or bars, could be opened very much after the manner of
the drawing arrangement used in some schools for copying designs.
When open it was very nearly two feet square, and yet it could be
squeezed into the smallest compass imaginable when not in use.
Amos built his fire place to fit this “spider” as he called it. Once
the arrangement was completed they could set the coffee pot and skillet
on this frame without the slightest danger of an upset, such as so
often disturbs the harmony of a camp.
Besides, once the fire got down to red embers, the bars of this grate
were useful to hold pieces of toasting bread—when there was any in
store.
And so, after all these things had been looked after, and the sun shone
very red across the lake, Dolph was called upon to exhibit his skill as
a cook.
When, just as twilight came stealing through the pine woods, supper was
announced, Teddy was seen to sniff the heavily charged air in a manner
so full of eager appreciation that the cook felt constrained to call
out:
“Remember what I said about drawing lots for the two extras.”
He watched Teddy eagerly as the other forked his first “saddle,” pulled
it apart, and took his first bite. There were no words spoken; none
were needed, since actions always speak louder than any language.
Teddy hesitated, and Dolph frowned; then suddenly a look of deep
satisfaction chased away this cloud from the face of the cook; for
Teddy was gnawing savagely at both frogs legs at the same time, as
though that single taste had set him fairly wild, and grunting like a
satisfied porker, as he ate.
But three seemed to be his limit.
“Mighty fine, all right, Mr. Cook,” he declared, “and next time set me
down for a round half dozen; but just now I draw the line at three.
It’s a queer dish, you know, and a fellow had better go a little slow
till he gets used to it.”
“But that leaves an extra saddle, just like before. Don’t you think you
could get away with just one more, to save trouble?” pleaded Dolph.
“Not on your life. I’ve had enough, and I know it. I don’t want to
overeat, and get a distaste for such a fine dish. Draw lots for the odd
one, you and Amos. And I’ll hold the straws. Long one eats my share.”
It fell to Dolph.
“But you’re welcome to it, if you really care for another, Amos,” he
said, generously.
The result of all this talking was that there were just _three_ saddles
left over. Dolph and Amos were stalled at four each.
“They were as fine as silk,” declared the cook, as he wrapped the
remnants of the feast in some clean paper, to be eaten for lunch on the
following day, “but they were such whoppers, I just couldn’t make way
with more than four.”
“Then I did pretty well for a beginner, didn’t I?” asked Teddy.
“Oh! you’re going to make the champion frog leg eater of the bunch,”
Dolph replied, with a laugh. “Why I only nibbled at _my_ first taste,
and it took me some time to really appreciate them. But you took to ’em
as easily as a duck does to water.”
They had a fairly quiet night, all told. A few mosquitoes sang around,
and Teddy vowed he would have the net up another time.
Then a loon out on the lake uttered its discordant cry several times,
after the moon had arisen. But taken in all, the boys found little to
complain of in this, their first night’s camp on Lake Manistique.
When another day came, they knocked around camp for some time.
“Where’s Amos gone?” asked Teddy, as he came up from the canoes, to
find Dolph the sole occupant of the camp, and busy rigging up a fishing
outfit, as if he wanted to try the bass in the lake.
“Oh! he heard me say I wished we had some honey for those fine flap
jacks he made for breakfast,” replied Dolph.
“And just like the bully fellow he is, Amos has trotted off to see if
he can’t discover a bee tree somewhere, eh? Well, I sure hope he does.
I like honey pretty well myself, sometimes. Going to try the bass, eh,
Dolph.”
“I hope they take the ibis half as greedily as those big bull-frogs
did. I couldn’t ask anything better,” replied the other, as he walked
down to the canoes.
These had been completely emptied of everything but the paddles.
Teddy saw his chum paddle away, and watched him following the shore of
the lake, gaily casting his gaudy flies in every shadowy spot.
“Hello! he’s struck one, and a jim-dandy fish, too, if that bent rod
stands for anything! Whew! look at him jump out, would you? That’s
the finest bass I’ve seen for many a day. Good boy, Dolph, you know
how to manage the tricky thing. He didn’t fall on the line, and tear
loose that time, for you lowered the tip handsomely. Go it again, you
fighter. Makes my fingers tingle just to see it going on. But one steel
fly rod is all we’ve got along. Another time I’ll take a turn at it.”
He watched Dolph land three fish inside of half an hour.
Then something caught Teddy’s attention at the camp, and he went back,
only to return half an hour later.
Look as he would he could not see his chum.
“Like as not he’s in one of the little bays,” Teddy remarked to
himself, “where the trees make a shadow on the water. Perhaps he’s on
the way back to camp. Guess I might as well—hello! now, I wonder what
that is, swimming out there in the lake? I declare, it looks like—yes,
it _must_ be a big buck deer! I can see his antlers plain now! And he’s
heading to strike the shore over on this side, too!”