y.

"How beautiful!" cried Tad.

"Wouldn't they make fish poles, though?" chuckled Ned.

"Yes, we wouldn't have to leave home when we went fishing," answered
Stacy. "We could just sit on the back porch and drop a hook in the water
at the back of the old pasture lot."

"How high do you think those trees are, Professor?" asked Tad.

"All of a hundred and fifty feet. A marvelous growth."

"I think I can appreciate the beauty of it more after I get something
inside of me," spoke up the fat boy. "Do we get anything to eat or do we
absorb landscape for our supper?"

"I reckon we had better get busy," agreed Tad laughingly.

They began unloading the packs at once. By the time the boys came in
with the wood the spot had assumed a really camp-like appearance. The
pots were filled with water and Tad began building a structure that was
to be their campfire when he was ready to touch it off.

"Did you find any birch bark, Ned?" he asked.

"Yes, there it is."

"Oh, thank you. The cedar will burn all right, but it is a good thing to
have the birch. We shall have a supper worth while in a few minutes.
Stacy, get busy and prepare the coffee."

For once the fat boy did not demur. He was too hungry, and was willing
to do almost anything that would hurry the supper along. Not a mouthful
had any of them eaten since breakfast.

The ponies were browsing contentedly, but the mule had lain down and
gone to sleep. The day was still bright, though the air had grown cooler
than when the sun was at its height. Still, a warm glow suffused the
faces of the Pony Rider Boys because they had been exercising. They
usually were busy, and not one of the lads, unless it were Stacy Brown,
had a lazy streak in him. Stacy was constitutionally opposed to doing
anything that looked like real work.

The cedar quickly blazed up into a crackling fire, consuming the
foliage. Tad took some of the brands and made a small cooking fire that
soon was a glowing bed of coals. Over this he broiled the bacon, toasted
the bread, and cooked the coffee without the least apparent effort.

Stacy Brown sat regarding the operations. Ned said that Stacy reminded
him of a dog watching the preparation of its dinner, but the fat boy
took no notice of Ned's comparison.

At last the meal was ready and the boys gathered around the spread that
was laid near the campfire, and began to eat with good appetites. Ned
nearly choked on a biscuit, and Tad swallowed a drink of w