be shouldered by each member of the
expedition. Experience in such things allowed them to accomplish more
in a given time than novices would have been able to do.

"Everything seems to be ready, Paul," announced Jack after a while, as
they gathered around, each boy striving to fix his individual pack
upon his back, and getting some other fellow to adjust the straps.

Bobolink seemed to have half again as much as any of the others,
though this was really all his own doing. Besides his usual share of
the luggage he had pots and pans and skillets sticking out in all
directions, so that he presented the appearance of a traveling
tinker.

"It's a great pity, Bobolink," said Tom Betts, with a grin, as he
surveyed his comrade after helping the other load up, "that you were
born about seventy-five years too late."

"Tell me why," urged the other.

"Think what a peddler you would have made! You'd have been a howling
success hawking your goods around the country."

Of course they had all adjusted their skates before taking up their
packs; for bending down would really have been next to a physical
impossibility after those weighty burdens had been assumed.

"Hope you have a right good time, boys," said Abe Turner in parting.
"And don't any of you worry about these boats. When you come back this
way you'll find everything slick and neat here."

"Good for you, Abe," cried Tom Betts. "And make up your mind to it the
Banner Boy Scouts never forget their friends. You're on the list, Abe.
Good-bye!"

They were off at last, and it was high time, for the short December
day was already getting well along toward its close. Night would come
almost before they knew it, though they had no reason to expect
anything like darkness, with that moon now much more than half full up
there in the heavens.

Some of the boys had noticed the mouth of this creek when camping on
Cedar Island the previous summer. They had been so much occupied with
fishing, taking flashlight pictures of little wild animals in their
native haunts, and in solving certain mysteries that came their way
that none of them had had time to explore the stream.

On this account then it would prove to be a new bit of country for
them, and this fact rather pleased most of the boys, as they dearly
loved to prowl around in a section they had never visited before.

Strung out in a straggling procession they skated along. The creek was
about as crooked as anything could well