gained, and
George was content at the arrangement which kept him in the workshop
with the tools, while he gladly did the most of the outdoor duties.

For two weeks the boys worked without a thought of relaxation, and on
this occasion, as on many others, it was incumbent on the Professor to
suggest a day of sport. It was the only direction in which he at any
time tried to wield the energies of the boys, and from this you may
infer how intensely they were interested in the marvelous developments
day by day, of which they were the important factors.

"Well," said Harry, "I must confess that I had entirely forgotten our
arrangement to devote a day each week to hunting and explorations, and I
didn't miss it."

"Nor did I," was George's reply: "I suppose we shall have to go, as I
imagine the Professor wants to have some sport," and he laughed at the
sly dig which he had given him.

The Professor smiled. "You are right, George, old as I am, I am in for
sport, and fun of any kind. Why, I am just as young as you are in
feeling and desires, but the difficulty is that getting old is a habit
with many people. It gets on their nerves; they get some reminder of old
age every day of their lives, and sometimes hourly during the day. When
this goes on for three, four, five or ten years, it is too much for the
most of humanity. It is taken as an accepted fact that old age means
infirmity, and the break comes, not really because the body is weak and
worn out, but because the mental state has contributed too much to the
idea that they are no longer young and cannot be youthful, and are
getting too old to enjoy things that others delight in."

The all-absorbing topic at the evening conference was to determine where
the hunting exploits should next take place; whether to the west, where
they had witnessed the fight between the bears for the honey tree, or to
the other side of the South River, which they called their hunting
preserves.

Heretofore, George had been anxious to do all the hunting along the
river, but now he kept suggesting the forest to the west, and it
eventually turned out that the real reason was on account of the supply
of honey giving out; and he had an idea that, as they had not seen any
trees with honey indications anywhere else in their wanderings, that
would be the proper place to go.

His views prevailed, but it was a two-days' journey, there and back.
That was the only objection; and considering that they had