acy from their Indians. The miner divided up these duties as
best he could, making Rand responsible for the sanitary condition of the
place, and giving such hints as he himself had gained by a service as an
enlisted man in the army and as a shipmaster. He himself took upon himself
most of the cooking, although when the ship's bread they had brought with
them began to pall upon the boys he selected Gerald for baker, and taught
him how to mix a batch of baking powder bread, and bake it in a
"reflector" before an open fire.

The first batch of loaves that Gerald produced came out of the little oven
so dark colored and hard, as they had failed to rise sufficiently that
they could not be eaten, and aroused the jeers of the "baker's" fellow
Scouts, who used them for several days in a game of basketball until
Gerald sneaked them out of camp and threw them into the creek. He had
excellent results with the bakings which followed, and after the chimney
on the sod house was finished a fire was built in the new fireplace that
gave a steadier heat, and he even attempted a batch of biscuit with such
excellent results that they informed him they were as good as any "that
mother used to make."

Swiftwater was indefatigable in his attention to the diet and health of
the Scouts, and made an effort to vary the former as much as possible.
Most of their food was canned or cured provisions, and the miner did his
best to secure fresh food. After the adventure with the bear no large game
was seen at all, but occasionally small birds were shot, and squirrels
were found fairly abundant. These, with a few small trout caught by Pepper
in the creek, helped to form a pleasant change from bacon, canned beans
and what the former sailor called "salt horse," or corned beef. The
commander of the camp was especially anxious to get hold of some green
vegetables, but the time was too short to attempt to grow anything, and he
spent some leisure time in the woods trying to find some substitute. A
change to green stuff is found very essential on shipboard to prevent
certain diseases that follow a too steady diet of salt and canned foods,
and the alternative where vegetables are not obtainable, is lime juice,
occasional doses of which the miner administered to the boys.

One Saturday Swiftwater suggested a half holiday, and with the remaining
boat pole up to the meadow where they had obtained the sod, and search for
some wild vegetables of an edible character.