The Woodcraft Girls in the City Part 17

"Watch me! May I have a bit of this birch bark the girls brought back with them from the woods?" asked Fred.

"Help yourself," replied Zan.

Fred quickly selected a strip of bark about ten inches wide. This he folded end to end to form a round tube. The edges were st.i.tched with wire-gra.s.s. Then he sewed a bottom on one end and it represented a bark pail. Next he plastered clay on the outside seams, and rubbed some gum from a wild cherry tree on the seams of the inside, saying: "If we had time to let the clay dry I wouldn't use the gum on the inside, but now I need to make it water-proof."

Then he filled this vessel with water and selected two red-hot stones of a smaller size than the others, and dropped them in the water.

Instantly, the water began boiling and the rice, which Miss Miller had washed, was poured into the vessel and a cover placed over the top.

"When our dinner is ready, the rice will be steamed, too," said Fred, placing the bark vessel on a flat stone near the fire-place.

"Well I never!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed some of the girls, while Elena hastily sketched the birch-bark holder and wrote down the rules for manufacturing it.

"Now girls, lay the cloth and have the dishes ready for the chowder,"

called Elizabeth, tasting the liquid from the tip of a spoon.

"I wish those two boys were here to enjoy this scrumptious meal," said Jane, sighing as she thought of their loss.

The chowder was dished up and eaten with sounds of many smacks and "Ahs!" Then the fish were removed from the oven and as the aroma of the flaky and sweet meat reached the nostrils of the Woodcrafters, a chorus of "Um's!" echoed about the camp-circle.

Every morsel of that supper vanished like ice in the July suns.h.i.+ne and was declared the best ever tasted by the campers. The gray of evening crept over sky and sea and earth as the Woodcrafters sat about the dying embers of the camp-fire hoping for a call or signal from the two boys, which would warn them of their approach. But in spite of the torch Fred kept burning on the Cliff, nothing was heard or seen from the wanderers.

Eleanor had been very quiet and meek since her confession to the Guide, but old ingrained habits are not thrown off in one moment of repentance.

When Fred returned from the Cliff with the report that he saw no sign of a fire or signal, she remarked:

"Well, you said the current was dreadfully strong just around the end of the Island. Maybe they couldn't make it and are being carried out to sea in the canoe."

"Oh no, they're all right," a.s.sured Fred, glancing at Zan and Jane.

"But they may have lost the paddles, or a dozen of any many things may have happened. Boys are always careless with an open boat," persisted Eleanor.

"Miss Miller, we'll put an end to this dread by going to the nearest telephone station. If the boys think we're lost they will 'phone home sometime before morning, and then they can tell them where we are. If they have already 'phoned we will find out and rest easier for the news," said Fred, pulling Bob up from his lounge by the fire.

"It's too dark to see where we're going," grumbled Bob, who had enjoyed the chowder and fish overmuch.

"Not when my lanterns are ready. Watch me," said Fred, picking up the two empty tins left from the corn, and slitting a hole in the side of each. The lid-ends were bent back and a candle fitted in the openings, then the jagged ends were pressed back into the tallow. The one end of the can was cut out entirely and the opposite end which had been cut open to remove the corn was bent back on the small piece of tin uncut and used as a handle for the impromptu lanterns.

Enough light reflected from the s.h.i.+ny tin of the inside cans to show the boys where to walk, and they started off on the hazard of finding a house or village where they could use a telephone.

"Let's study the stars while they are gone. Who can tell us a new story or find the old planets?" suggested Zan.

So the time pa.s.sed quickly until the campers heard a whoop from the woods and saw the flickering of the two lights as the boys approached the fire.

"What did you find out?" cried Jane and Zan, as they jumped up from the gra.s.s to run and meet the messengers.

"Good joke on Jack and Fiji! They just telephoned a few minutes before we did. They were wondering what had happened to you girls. They said that Bob knew well enough where to go as he saw the tree blazed as a sign for you," said Fred.

"So I did, but the day we came over to hunt up a site, we were in the auto and to-day I came by boat, so it looked very different. Besides, both places look alike as far as woods and beach and sandy cliff go,"

responded Bob.

"Did they say they would look us up to-night?" asked Zan.

"They haven't the slightest idea where to find us in the dark, so they will remain at the camp where they are and pick us up in the morning,"

explained Fred.

"Well, thank goodness, we know they are safe and sound, although I felt sure they were, right along," sighed Jane.

"Yes, indeed, two athletic boys like Fiji and Jack would be all right,"

added Eleanor, really believing her own words-such is the changeableness of a dual nature.

The tired Woodcrafters then retired and sighed as they stretched out weary bones on the cots or under the stars on soft pine beds.

"Gee! This is the life!" chuckled Bob, as he bounced up and down on the springy spruce-tip bed.

"Guess the midgets haven't reached you yet!" grumbled Billy, as he slapped viciously at an unseen plague.

Then Fred began slapping and whipping the air, and finally Bob felt the mosquitoes and midgets bite, until all three boys jumped up again and began building a smudge fire.

"Oh boys! If you would only come over to our camp and help us build a smoke like yours! We can't sleep a wink!" cried Zan.

Fred and his helpers soon had a number of small smudge fires burning about the tents and the girls thanked them sincerely as they felt relief from the pesky insects that make camping a trial.

The gay carolling of a few late birds woke the campers, and Miss Miller was soon out ready to start breakfast. The others all declared for a morning dip, and were soon splas.h.i.+ng and playing in the surf. The boys preferred to go in later, however, and take the morning hour before breakfast to catch some fish.

"Maybe we'll get enough for breakfast and dinner, too!" said Bob.

By the time the girls were dressed, the boys returned to land with three goodly sized fish and the news that they had spied a smoke rising from a campfire some two miles down the sh.o.r.e.

"It's Fiji and Jack-I wish we could surprise them at breakfast," laughed Zan.

"I have an idea!" ventured Bob. "Right after breakfast, let's take as many as can get in the launch and start down the coast; the others can hike through the woods and meet us there. On the way back we will make the others ride home and the first batch walk."

"I'll ride the aqua-plane," offered Elizabeth.

"Why don't you let some of the other girls do that?" asked Fred.

"They don't know how."

"But it isn't hard to learn. I can show them how to balance in a few trials. Do you want to try after breakfast, Zan?" returned Fred.

"Oh, I'd love it!" cried Zan.

So breakfast was quickly disposed of because the girls antic.i.p.ated great sport with the plane. Billy was detailed to steer the launch while Fred showed the girls how to balance and guide the ropes to make the aqua-plane skim lightly over the waves.

After many upsets and great shouting and excitement, the girls could manage the plane quite well. Then as the young engineer increased the speed of the launch and the plane fairly flew over the water, the riders felt as if they were aviators, the sense of the rest for their feet disappearing in the dizzy pace with which they sped over the surf.

"I thought you folks wanted to hunt up the lost boys?" called Miss Miller, when she thought the girls had had enough of the drenching sport for that morning.

"So we will, now that we can take turns on the plane as we go alongsh.o.r.e," called back Zan.