The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 16

Everyone laughed and Jane added: "Yes, mushrooms but not enough for all.

If we only had a steak they would make a fine sauce."

"Oh gee! That reminds me I forgot my donation to the party!" cried Bob Baker, springing up from the gra.s.s where he had thrown himself, and running down to the launch.

"Bob trawled all the way and caught some pretty good sized fish. I thought all decent sized fish were driven out of these waters by the traffic and pollution from sewers, but I was mistaken," explained Fred, watching Bob run back with his catch.

"Now we can use the mushrooms!" cried Zan.

"Fred, why don't you cook the fish the way father taught us on Sunset Island?" asked Elizabeth.

"Just as Miss Miller says," replied Fred, looking at the Guide.

"Miss Miller says cook the whole supper if you like, then we can take a swim. You boys have had your dip, you know," laughed she.

"Now, how did you know that? We boys said we wouldn't let you know it!"

cried Bob.

"Really, you are uncanny, Miss Miller," added Fred.

"Anyone could tell Bob had been in, from his damp curly pate, and Billy still has the brine sticking up about his scalp. If I should need any further evidence I might say that one of the younger boys put on Fred's socks by mistake, or else he made a blunder when he mentioned his size to the clerk who sold them," said the Guide, smiling.

Everyone glanced at Billy's feet, and lo! the socks were hanging loosely down over his shoes, several sizes too large for him, while Fred's turned-up white trousers showed socks so tight that they stopped the circulation at the top, but the tops only reached to the place where his shoes ended.

A peal of laughter rang out and echoed through the woods at the sight the three surprised boys made, and Zan said:

"Just for that, you have to cook supper while we take a dip!"

"We're game. Not because we took a swim before we got here, but because you've got such an all-round fine clairvoyant!" laughed Fred, looking at Miss Miller with admiration.

"Shall we wait supper for Fiji and Jack?" asked Bob.

"They'll be given something should they come straggling in late, but I firmly believe they went to their own camp-site and are now pitying us for not having found them," said Miss Miller.

"And you can leave it to Jack to have something to eat! He never takes a chance on going without a square meal!" added Jane.

"We'll keep the signal-fire going all night and when it is dark they can see it and get their bearings for us in the morning," suggested Fred.

So the girls ran to their tents to hurry into bathing suits and take a swim before the call came for supper.

CHAPTER SEVEN-CAMPING SPORTS OF A WEEK-END

"Come ahead, boys, clean the fish and get them ready for me to cook,"

called Fred, starting to dig a hole in the ground about twice the size of the fish. This he thickly lined with large sized sh.o.r.e pebbles which had been well washed. On top of these stones he built a good fire until it thoroughly heated the stones to a white heat.

Meantime Bob and Billy cleaned and washed the fish, then placed a thick strip of bacon inside each one. They salted, peppered, and floured the fish ready to cook.

When the fire-pit was ready, Fred raked out the cinders and put a layer of clean gra.s.s on top of the red-hot stones. He laid out the fish on this and covered them with a layer of the gra.s.s, and on top of this he spread a thin layer of sand. Then he piled in the glowing cinders and kept the fire burning fiercely on top of Nature's sauce-pan.

The Guide returned from her bath while the fish were cooking and expressed deep interest in the new method of cooking she saw demonstrated before her. Fred explained how he built the oven and a note was made to enter the splendid idea in the Tribe's Tally.

"Are the fish most done?" asked Elizabeth, sniffing for an odour of the cooking.

"Be ready about the same time the rest of the supper is," replied Fred.

"That's a new kind of a pot-hanger, Miss Miller," said Zan, pointing to the sapling Fred had rigged up.

"I'll tell you girls just how I made this fire-place," offered he.

"Large stones are so plentiful about here, so I took some flat ones and built the fire inside the narrow aperture made by laying the stones in two rows parallel to each other. The sauce-pans stand close over the fire and are quite firm on these flat stones, and the building does not take as long to complete as a log fire-place.

"These two green logs were found by Billy, and you can see for yourselves that the angle they make as placed, provides a resting place for various sized pots-small to large-the large ones setting on the widest opening of the angle. The fire built between the logs is easily kept clean by raking out the dead ash from the widest opening.

"Now this is a good form of pot-hanger where you want a kettle to hang directly over a fire. I found a good sapling that had a well-defined notch made by two branches. These I cut down to about three inches in length. The bottom of the sapling I trimmed to a point to drive into the ground the right distance I wanted.

"Then I trimmed another forked sapling similar to the first but much longer. This I fitted into the crotch of the upright stick, with the forked end directly over the fire, and the opposite end held firmly to the ground by means of a stump or flat stone. You see, this forked device of the end over the fire keeps the handle of the pot from slipping off, and the long end held to the ground by a weight gives the kettle enough swing to resist any extra contents.

"While you're all here seeing me do it, let me tell you a fine stunt if the weather is bad and tents are damp, or cots cold and uncomfortable,"

added Fred, as he concluded his talk on pot-hangers. "When you are through cooking dinner, you can take these red-hot fire-stones by means of a stout stick and a dishpan, and carry them to the tent. In a short time, the heat rising from the stones will dry the atmosphere. If the cots are damp and cold, place the pan of hot stones under the bed and they will soon dry and be warm as toast all night. If you want the temperature of the tent to keep warm all night, place a layer of moss or gra.s.s over the stones. The rock will retain its heat for hours after removing it from the fire."

"Well! If Fred Remington doesn't know everything!" sighed Elena, admiringly.

"I wish you were a member of our Tribe," added Zan.

"Who wouldn't be an expert Woodcrafter with such a mother! Why, she was an enthusiastic worker in the plan long before a regular League started.

Besides, we spend our Summers on the Island in Maine, and what we don't know from camping at home we ferret out from the farmers and fishermen on the Coast. My uncles own the neighbouring islands to ours and they enjoy out-door life, too. So we all have a good time experimenting with new ideas and remembering the good ones for future use," explained Fred, eagerly.

"Fred knows so much about camping and cooking because he won a degree for Camp Cook. Besides, he and his Tribe go hiking and camping every Sat.u.r.day and Fred has charge of the party. I am working for the degree this year, and I'm sure I shall win it," said Elizabeth, who was cooking a concoction she wished to try out.

"It behooves Wako Tribe to keep on friendly terms with you, Elizabeth,"

remarked the Guide, smiling at Zan.

"Oh, we found that out long ago, Miss Miller," retorted the Chief.

"What is that stuff you are fixing, Betsy? It smells awful good," asked Hilda, sniffing at the steam that rose from the pot Elizabeth was using for her brew.

"I call it 'hastychowder' and it is made this way, in case you girls want to try it sometime: To one can of corn, take four cups of potatoes cut into small dice, two ounces of salt pork, also cut fine, a small onion, and about four ounces of crackers. Fry the pork and onions brown and then add the corn and potatoes. Cover this with water and cook until the vegetables are soft. Then add the milk and some salt, and lastly the crackers. If the crackers are soaked in milk for a time before using, I think it makes the chowder better."

"Well, whatever you call it or cook it, it smells mighty good to me,"

said Jane.

"Girls, I wanted to have plain cooked rice with the fish, but how can I cook it when every pot and place is in use?" asked the Guide, looking at the array of pans and pots all holding food.

"Ha! You'd make a poor tenderfoot if you were lost on the mountains with no outfit!" laughed Fred.

"What would you do in that case?" asked the Guide.