"Here you, Jumbo, hurry up with that bedding and then clean those fish!"

The voice was the major's. It hailed from a level spot a short distance above the sandy beach. On this small plateau, the canvas "tepees" the Boy Scouts carried were already erected, and a good fire was burning between two green logs.

"Yas, sah, yas, sah! I'se a comin'," hailed the negro, lumbering up among the loose rock, and almost spilling his load in his haste, "I'se a coming so quintopulous dat you all kain't see muh fer de dus' I'se raisin'."

Before long the fish, caught by trolling as they came along, were frizzling in the pan, and spreading an appetizing odor abroad. The aroma of coffee and camp biscuit mingled with the other appetizing smells.

"Race anybody down to the lake for a wash!" shouted Rob suddenly.

In a flash he was off, followed by Merritt, Hiram and Tubby. Little Andy Bowles, with his bugle suspended from his shoulders by a cord of the Eagle colors, hurried along behind on his stumpy little legs.

"I win!" shouted Rob as he, with difficulty, paused on the brink of the lake. But hardly were the words out of his mouth before Merritt flashed up beside him.

"Almost a dead heat," laughed Rob, "I----But hullo, what's all this?"

Above them came a roar of sliding gravel and stones that sounded like an avalanche. In the midst of it was Tubby, his rotund form dashing forward at a great rate. His legs were flashing like the pistons of a racing locomotive as he plunged down the hillside.

"Here, stop! stop!" shouted Rob, "you'll be in the lake in a minute!"

But the warning came too late. Tubby's heavy weight could not be checked so easily. Faster he went, and faster, striving in vain to stop himself.

"He's gone!" yelled Merritt the next instant, as a splash announced that Tubby had plunged into the lake water.

In a flash the fat boy was on the surface. But he was "dead game," and while his comrades shouted with laughter he swam about, puffing like a big porpoise.

"Come on in, the water's fine," he exclaimed.

"Even with your uniform on?" jeered Hiram.

"Sure! Oh-ouch! what's that?"

The fat boy had perceived a queer-looking head suddenly obtrude from the water close to him. It was evident that he was not the only one to enjoy an evening swim that day. A big water snake was sharing his involuntary bath with him.

Tubby struck out with might and main for sh.o.r.e, and presently reached it, dripping profusely. The major, when he heard of the occurrence, ordered a change of clothes. When this had been made, Andy's bugle sounded the quick lively notes of the mess call, and the Boy Scouts and their elders gathered round the table which the boys' deft hands had composed of flat slabs of birch bark supported on trestles of green wood. They sat on camp stools which they carried with them. How heartily they ate! They had the appet.i.tes that are born of woods and open places.

"Mah goodness, dose boys mus' have stumicks lak der olyphogenius mammaothstikuscudsses!" exclaimed Jumbo as he hurried to and from his cooking fire in response to constant demands for "more."

CHAPTER XI.

THE MOUNTAIN CAMP.

Supper concluded, the talk naturally fell to the object of their expedition. The chart or map of the treasure-trove's location was brought out and pored over in the firelight, for the nights were quite sharp, and a big fire had been lighted.

"How soon do you think we will be within striking distance of the place?"

inquired Rob.

"Within two or three days, I should estimate," replied the former officer, "but of course we may be delayed. For instance, we have a portage ahead of us."

"A-a--how much?" asked Tubby.

"A portage. That means a point of land round which it would not be practicable to canoe. At such a place we shall have to take the canoes out of the water and carry them over the projection of land to the next lake."

"Anybody who wants it can have my share of that job," said Tubby, "I guess I'll delegate Andy Bowles to carry out my part."

There was a general laugh at the idea of what a comical sight the diminutive bugler would present staggering along under the weight of a canoe.

"Andy would look like a little-neck clam under its sh.e.l.l," chuckled Merritt.

"Well, you can't always gauge the quality of the goods by the size of the package they come in," chortled Andy, "look at Tubby, for instance.

He----"

But the fat boy suddenly projected himself on the little bugler. But Andy, though small, was tough as a roll of barbed wire. He resisted the fat lad's attack successfully and the two struggled all over the level place on which the camp had been pitched.

Finally, however, they approached so near to the edge that Rob interfered.

"You'll roll down the slope into the lake in another minute," he said.

"Two baths a day would be too much for Tubby. Besides, he'd raise the water and swamp the canoes."

The fat youth, with a pretence of outraged dignity, sought his tepee and engaged himself in cleaning his twenty-two rifle. After a while, though, he emerged from his temporary obscurity, and joined the group about the fire, who were happily discussing plans.

"One good thing is that we have plenty of arms," volunteered Hiram, "in case Hunt and his gang attack us we can easily keep them off."

"Good gracious!" exclaimed the professor, "surely you don't contemplate any such unlawful acts, major?"

"As shooting at folks you mean," laughed the major. "No indeed, my dear professor. But if those rascals attack us I hope we shall be able to tackle them without any other weapons than those nature has given us."

"I owe Freeman Hunt a good punch," muttered Tubby. "I'd like to make the dust fly around his heels with this rifle."

"Goodness, you talk like a regular 'Alkali Ike'," grinned Hiram.

"Bet you I could hit an apple at two hundred yards with this rifle, anyway," a.s.serted the stout youth.

"Bet my hunting knife you can't."

"All right, we'll try to-morrow. This rifle is a dandy, I tell you."

"Pooh! It won't carry a hundred yards."

"It won't, eh? It'll carry half a mile, the man who sold it to me said so."

"Minds me uv er gun my uncle had daown in Virginny," put in Jumbo who had been an interested listener, "that thar gun was ther mos' umbliquitos gun I ever hearn' tell uv."

"It was a long distance shooter, eh?" laughed the major, scenting some fun.

"Long distance, sah! Why, majah, sah, dat gun hadn't no ekil fo' long distancenessness. Dat gun 'ud shoot--it 'ud shoot de eye out uv er lilly fly des as fur as you could see."