ne breakfast. The fruit, cereal, biscuits, and ham to
broil, were highly appreciated by the hungry girls. This was soon gone,
and then Mrs. Vernon said they must buckle down to genuine camp life.

"I'd rather sleep out under the trees, Verny, when the weather is so
fine," suggested Julie.

"So would we," agreed the other scouts, and the Captain said, "Well, we
might make willow beds for out-of-doors, and keep the cots as they are."

"How do we know we can find any willows around here?" asked Ruth.

"I saw some early this morning when I was snooping about. I got up at
dawn and left you girls sleeping, while I investigated the premises.
Girls, the place is simply perfect for _anything_ we might choose to do
this summer," declared the Captain, enthusiastically.

"Tell us where the reeds are, and we will get them," said Betty.

"They grow about a spring not far from here. We must follow a
wild-animal trail along the lake to reach the spot."

So the scouts each took an axe and knife and followed the guide to the
willow-brook where the reeds grew. Mrs. Vernon showed the girls how to
select the wands, and then began to cut down her own. She took about six
dozen reeds as thick as a lead-pencil, and many smaller ones; these were
bundled together, and then she was ready to start back to camp. Finally
the girls were ready, also, and they trailed back.

"Now girls, each one must cut notches about three-fourths of an inch
from the butt-ends of the reeds. Then peel the sticks carefully--do not
crack or break them while doing it." Mrs. Vernon did hers as she
advised.

"Now come with me, and select your posts for the beds. I take four young
birch saplings for the bed-frame," announced Mrs. Vernon, as she chopped
down the required birches, "and stout birches about four inches thick
for my bedposts."

Each scout cut hers and then went back to the camp-ground to begin work
on the Indian beds.

"Every one measure the birch saplings and have two of them seven feet
long, and two shorter ones three or four feet long," instructed Mrs.
Vernon. "Lop off all the twigs, and place the two long ones for sides,
and the two short ones for top and bottom of the bed-frame.

"Now, this done, watch me carefully, girls. This is the important part
of making the bed," advised the Captain.

Mrs. Vernon took a ball of heavy twine and doubled a long strand so that
it was half-length. This was twisted into one strand, and a loop tied in
the middle