ll right, but I wager that they'll enjoy some of the meals
we're going to have on Lac Parent or Corbeau more than any they have had
in a long time," said Mr. Waterman.

Madame LaBlanche outdid herself at this lunch for she had a very good
chicken dinner for the boys, with pie, cake, preserved raspberries and
crabapples for dessert.

"This is a fine meal to start one off for the woods," said Pud. "I
couldn't walk a step if you paid me five dollars."

"You won't have to walk for some time," said Mr. Anderson. "We're going
to drive in about sixteen miles and I'll wager that this dinner will be
pretty well digested by the time we get there. We're going in on an old
wood road so you will hardly find it like the macadamized roads you have
in the park in Philadelphia."

A short time later they were off. Two carriages were to take them into
the woods, each drawn by a hardy looking though rather small
French-Canadian horse and driven by a habitant. Bob was in the front
seat with the driver, with Pud and Mr. Waterman in the back seat. Bill
and Mr. Anderson were in the other buggy.

"Well, here's a chance to begin talking French," said Mr. Waterman to
Bob. "Bill tells me that you spout it quite well."

"Bill is exaggerating," said Bob. "I used to talk French rather well and
I hope to pick it up soon again."

"You will," said Mr. Waterman. "You will also find that these habitants
speak a pretty good dialect of French. In no time, Bob, you will be able
to talk just like the natives."

"Allons, Gi-may," cried the driver to the horse as he touched him with
the whip. The horse responded nobly and they bowled along right merrily.
Bob tried to think what "Allons, Gi-may" meant. He got the first word
all right. That meant "Giddap or Go-along" in the vernacular but what
that "Gi-may" meant he could not think. He did not want to ask Mr.
Waterman so soon for information. Taking the bull by the horns, Bob
began a conversation with the driver. To be sure it was very limited,
for Bob had his troubles, but after a little while he got along very
well. He was soon asking the driver for the names of the various trees
they noted along the road. Bob thought that this would be valuable in
the woods. All the habitants in such a place as Escoumains are woodsmen,
and the driver, as such, knew the names of everything in the woods. But,
every once in a while, he would cry out "Allons, Gi-may" and Bob would
wonder what that word "Gi-may" meant. Soo