an arrow and moved with the
litheness and silence of the real Indian. Though his expression never
changed, the boys could see that he missed nothing that went on about
him. Joe was a little Frenchman. He could talk a little English and was
very proud of that fact.

"The dinnaire is prepair," said he to Bob with a smile.

"Ah, that's the kind of French I can understand," said Pud, as he moved
over towards the fire.

"Now be prepared to shout," said Mr. Anderson. "Here's some real trout
caught within the hour and cooked as only Joe can cook them."

He gave each of the boys a whole trout out of the frying pan and this,
with bread, butter, prunes and coffee, was their supper. The trout was
hot and all three boys stated that they had never tasted anything better
in their lives. They all meant it too. At their praise, Joe's face
lighted up, for he was proud of his cooking. They formed a real woodsman
picture as they sat or squatted around the fire eating their supper
without the use of plates or a table. The picture was rather out of
harmony, for the Indian and the Frenchman were the typical woodsmen, the
two older men hardened fishermen, but even the merest novice could see
that the three boys were unused to the woods and their present
surroundings.

But, in any case, the scene was not lost on the boys. The bright light
cast by the fire on the faces of the men and the dark shadows of the
woods formed a contrast that was fascinating to the boys. They could not
keep their eyes off Pierre with his silent but speedy movements, and his
impassive face, nor from Joe, who formed such a contrast with his
animation and gestures, his good-natured talk and his smile. Mr.
Waterman and Mr. Anderson sat to the side talking in low tones, and the
boys felt that these were two men worthy of their confidence. They
looked as though they would be ready for any emergency that might arise.
They were startled by a splash in the river. Pierre seemed to vanish as
if by magic into the trees on the side towards the river. Though he went
with great speed, the boys listened in vain to hear him tearing through
the bushes. All ears were tensed but not a sound was heard.

"Pierre will let us know what it is," said Mr. Waterman in a
matter-of-fact tone, as he motioned the boys to sit down again. "Don't
worry, there's nothing up here to do us much harm. Even the bears run
from us and it's necessary to hunt them carefully if you want to see
one, though