f October," answered young Garst for himself and his
comrades. "Uncle Eb will go along with us as guide; and he'll supply a
tent, so that we can rest for two or three nights at a time if we
choose."

"Hum!" said the doctor doubtfully, laying his hand on Dol's shoulder.
"This youngster oughtn't to do much tramping for a few days, Cyrus. That
deer-road did up his feet pretty badly. I'll be travelling in your
direction myself the day after to-morrow. I want to visit a
farm-settlement within a dozen miles of the lake, where the farmer has a
sickly child, the only treasure in his log shanty. The mite frets if
Doc doesn't come to see her once in a while.

"Therefore, I propose that we join forces, and press forward together. I
guess I'll keep my nephews out here for a week longer, and take the
responsibility of their missing that time at school. Now that they have
fallen in with your friends, it would be a shame to separate Young
England and Young America without giving them a chance to get friendly."

Here Dr. Phil beamed upon the five boys, who, after one night in the
forest, sleeping in a light-hearted row on the evergreen boughs, with
their feet to the fire, had reached a brotherly intimacy which years of
city life might not have bred.

"I further propose," he went on, "that we hire a roomy wagon and a pair
of strong horses from a settler who has a clearing about two miles from
here. There is an old logging-road which runs through the woods towards
the point for which we're heading. We could follow that for the first
half of our journey. It isn't a turnpike, you know. In fact, it's only a
broad track where the underbrush has been cleared away, and the trees
cut down, with strips of corduroy road sandwiched in. But the lumbermen
still haul supplies over it to their camps, and I propose that we
follow their example. We can pile our tent, camp duffle [stores], and
all our packs into the wagon, together with the hero of the
deer-road,"--winking at Dol,--"and the rest of us can take turns in
riding. It will be a big lark for these youngsters to travel over a
corduroy road. A very bracing ride they'll have in more senses than one;
but they can spin plenty of yarns about it when they get home."

The "youngsters," one and all, signified their approval of the
suggestion. Cyrus, who, as a college man, was above this category, was
pleased to acquiesce too.

"When can we get the wagon, Doctor?" asked Neal, burning to press
onw