gun yet," said Bert. "Wait until we get to the
woods and have to go hunting for what we want to eat, and cook it over
an open fire--that's the way to live!"

"I guess there won't be much hunting on Blueberry Island," said Mr.
Bobbsey, with a laugh.

"Well, we can make-believe, can't we?" asked Freddie.

"Oh, yes, you can make-believe," said his mother. "And that, sometimes,
is more fun than having real things."

I will not tell you all the things that happened on the steamboat, for
so much more happened on Blueberry Island that I will have to hurry on
to that. Besides, the trip to the middle of the lake did not take more
than an hour, and not much can take place in an hour.

I say not much, and yet sometimes lots of things can. But not a great
deal did to the Bobbseys this time, though, to be sure, a strange dog
tried to get hold of Snoop in his crate, and Freddie nearly fell
overboard reaching after his hat, which blew off.

"But I could swim even if I did fall in," he said, for Mr. Bobbsey had
taught all four twins how to keep afloat in water.

"Well, we don't want you falling in," his mother answered. "Now you sit
by me."

This Freddie did for a short time. Then he got tired of sitting still
and jumped down from his chair, at the same time calling to his little
sister:

"Say, Flossie, let's go and watch the engine."

"All right," answered the little girl, ready, as always, to do anything
her brother suggested.

As Flossie jumped from her chair to join her brother, she accidently
kicked an umbrella belonging to a man who was sitting near by, and the
umbrella fell to the floor and slipped out under the railing right into
the water.

"Oh--oh--oh!" gasped Flossie.

But Freddie turned and ran as fast as he could to the stairs that led to
the lower deck.

"Here! where are you going?" cried his father, and started after his
son.

"Goin' after that umbrella!"

"I think not!" and Mr. Bobbsey caught up with Freddie and picked him up
in his arms.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Bobbsey told the man how sorry she was, and said that
they would replace the umbrella. But the man returned that he would not
allow that.

"No one needs an umbrella on such a lovely day, anyway," he said.

But a deckhand who was cleaning some mops in the water had already
rescued the umbrella.

"Blueberry Island!" called a man on the steamer, after the boat had made
one or two other stops. "All off for Blueberry Island!"

"Oh, let us off!