rder the crew of your vessel to wear full
dress uniform all the time, namely, your bathing suits."

The weather was fine and dry and, according to the signs as interpreted
by Uncle Teddy, would remain so for the next few days. Orders were given
to start immediately after breakfast the next morning. Ponchos had to be
rolled for this trip, as they intended camping in the woods somewhere
for one or, perhaps, two nights.

"Don't tell Antha we're going to sleep on the ground," Gladys warned the
others diplomatically, "or she'll make a fuss before we start."

"We'll save that for a pleasant surprise," said Sahwah, with a grin over
her shoulder.

No special time had been set for the return of the "exploraging" party.
They were simply going to paddle up the river as far as they could go
and then turn back.

The camp looked like an army preparing to move that Tuesday morning.
Blankets were being stripped from beds and spread out on ponchos while
their owners raced around hunting for the rest of their belongings which
should go in.

"Where's my toothbrush?" demanded Gladys, having turned the tent upside
down in her search for the missing article. "Katherine, if you've
borrowed it to stir that villainous paint mixture you were daubing
Eeny-Meeny with I'll----"

"What's that sticking out of the hole in the floor?" interrupted
Katherine, pointing to the corner behind the bed.

"Why, that's it," said Gladys. "I remember now, I poked it into that
hole last night."

"Whatever did you put it into that hole for?" asked Hinpoha curiously.

"Why, after I was in bed," answered Gladys, "I got to thinking about
that hole and how spiders and things could come crawling through and
walk right into my bed, and I had no peace of mind until I got up and
stuffed it. And the only thing I could find to stuff it with was the
handle of my toothbrush. Then I went to sleep in peace."

"As if all the spiders in the world couldn't walk in at the side of the
tent," jeered Hinpoha.

"I know it," said Gladys, laughing shamefacedly, "but somehow the
spiders that might be coming in at the sides didn't bother me a bit,
while those that might be coming through the hole did."

"'Consistency, thou art a jewel,'" quoted Katherine, laughing.

"What are the boys doing?" asked Hinpoha, hearing a commotion outside.

The Captain was running toward the path, waving something over his head,
and Slim was hot after him trying to get it away.

"Oh, it's the