CHAPTER IX
ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE
“Let’s turn up this side, and keep right along for an hour,” Teddysuggested, 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 alake 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 forhalf a dozen blows. And then, on a hot summer night, it’s nice to catchall 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 acontinental where we camp, just so Amos gets one of his bully cookingfires 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 thepan in a big hurry, for fear we won’t get it. There’s just one thingtroubling 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 thepoor 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 enoughto 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 thehumorous 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 hisappetite.”
“Oh! well, just as you say; I don’t want to kick up any row in thefamily.” Teddy concluded, with the resigned air of one who gives in inorder 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. Hewas sitting there, winking at me. And I could see he just loved queerred bugs that came down to dangle in front of his nose. I make it arule never to disobey a call to dinner, and that’s why I failed to getthe 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 appreciationfor Teddy’s selection. Indeed, it seemed as though Nature had takenespecial pains to create an ideal site for a summer camp.
There were enough trees for shade, without interfering too much withtheir view of the lake. The ground had a gentle slope that promisedthem immunity from a flooded tent in case of heavy rain. And there wasthe clear water of the lake within reach, for all purposes—drinking ifneed be, fishing, boating and swimming.
Could anyone ask more?
There was the nicest little beach just in front, where the canoes couldbe landed. And as the three lads jumped ashore, they felt satisfiedthat the conditions could not possibly be improved on.
As they expected to stay in this camp for several days, it was onlynatural that they should go to some little extra care in doing things.
For instance, after the tent had been raised, Teddy and Dolph tookhatchet and knife, and dug a little sluice in a crescent shape aroundthe side that was up the slope. This was calculated to turn any wateraside that might, during a storm, have a tendency to creep under thetent, and wet the piece of canvas they always used as a “floor.”
Then Amos, too, used extra care in building his stone fire place. Theyhad a sort of gridiron arrangement along with them, which, composed ofcross sections or bars, could be opened very much after the manner ofthe drawing arrangement used in some schools for copying designs.
When open it was very nearly two feet square, and yet it could besqueezed into the smallest compass imaginable when not in use.
Amos built his fire place to fit this “spider” as he called it. Oncethe arrangement was completed they could set the coffee pot and skilleton this frame without the slightest danger of an upset, such as sooften disturbs the harmony of a camp.
Besides, once the fire got down to red embers, the bars of this gratewere useful to hold pieces of toasting bread—when there was any instore.
And so, after all these things had been looked after, and the sun shonevery red across the lake, Dolph was called upon to exhibit his skill asa cook.
When, just as twilight came stealing through the pine woods, supper wasannounced, Teddy was seen to sniff the heavily charged air in a mannerso full of eager appreciation that the cook felt constrained to callout:
“Remember what I said about drawing lots for the two extras.”
He watched Teddy eagerly as the other forked his first “saddle,” pulledit apart, and took his first bite. There were no words spoken; nonewere needed, since actions always speak louder than any language.
Teddy hesitated, and Dolph frowned; then suddenly a look of deepsatisfaction chased away this cloud from the face of the cook; forTeddy was gnawing savagely at both frogs legs at the same time, asthough that single taste had set him fairly wild, and grunting like asatisfied porker, as he ate.
But three seemed to be his limit.
“Mighty fine, all right, Mr. Cook,” he declared, “and next time set medown 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 slowtill he gets used to it.”
“But that leaves an extra saddle, just like before. Don’t you think youcould 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 toovereat, and get a distaste for such a fine dish. Draw lots for the oddone, 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,” hesaid, generously.
The result of all this talking was that there were just _three_ saddlesleft over. Dolph and Amos were stalled at four each.
“They were as fine as silk,” declared the cook, as he wrapped theremnants of the feast in some clean paper, to be eaten for lunch on thefollowing day, “but they were such whoppers, I just couldn’t make waywith 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 ’emas 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 tocomplain 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, tofind Dolph the sole occupant of the camp, and busy rigging up a fishingoutfit, 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 flapjacks he made for breakfast,” replied Dolph.
“And just like the bully fellow he is, Amos has trotted off to see ifhe 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-frogsdid. I couldn’t ask anything better,” replied the other, as he walkeddown 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 ofthe lake, gaily casting his gaudy flies in every shadowy spot.
“Hello! he’s struck one, and a jim-dandy fish, too, if that bent rodstands for anything! Whew! look at him jump out, would you? That’sthe finest bass I’ve seen for many a day. Good boy, Dolph, you knowhow to manage the tricky thing. He didn’t fall on the line, and tearloose that time, for you lowered the tip handsomely. Go it again, youfighter. Makes my fingers tingle just to see it going on. But one steelfly 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 tohimself, “where the trees make a shadow on the water. Perhaps he’s onthe way back to camp. Guess I might as well—hello! now, I wonder whatthat 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’sheading to strike the shore over on this side, too!”
Camp Mates in Michigan; or, with Pack and Paddle in the Pine Woods Page 10