. He'd be the rage, the hit of the
next season; and what pride he'd have in sending newspaper notices of
himself to Peace Island! How Margot would open her blue eyes, and
Angelique toss her hands, and the master slowly admit that there was
genius where he had estimated only talent.

"There's such a wide, wide difference in the two!" cried Adrian,
aloud.

"Hey? What?"

The dreamer came back to reality, and to Pierre, demanding,

"Make it one-seventy-five, and I'll do it."

"Well. I will. Now, for to-night. Shall we camp right here or go
further into the forest? In the woods I'm always ready for bed, and
its later than usual now."

"Here. I know the very rocks you got under in that storm. They'll do
as good as a tent, and easier."

Adrian, also, knew that spot and in a few moments both lads were
asleep. They had not stopped even to build the fire that was customary
in such quarters.

Pierre was awake first, on the next morning, and Adrian slowly rose,
stretching his cramped limbs and yawning widely.

"Well, I must say that Angelique's good mattress beats rocks. You
don't catch me doing that again. I guess I'll walk down to the water
and have a last look at the island."

"I guess you won't. You'll eat your breakfast right now. Then you'll
fix that birch for the carry. If I do the heavy work you've got to do
the light."

"Sounds fair enough, but you're paid and I'm not."

"It is fair."

Adrian did not contest the point; the less readily because he saw that
the fried chicken Angelique had given them was rapidly diminishing in
quantity.

"Think I'll fall to, myself. My, but I'm hungry! Wish I had a cup of
coffee."

"Can't waste time now. We'll have some to-night."

"Did they give us some?"

"Look in the pack."

"After breakfast, I'll oblige you."

Pierre grinned and helped himself to a wing.

Adrian seized the tin basin which held the fowl and placed it behind
himself. "Enough's as good as a feast. We shall be hungry again. See
here. What kind of a bird was this? or birds? all legs and arms, no
bodies. Freaks of nature. Eh? How many breast portions have you
devoured?"

"Three."

"Oh! Then, travel or no travel, you get no wage this day. Understand.
I'm commander of this expedition. I see to the commissariat. I'll
overhaul the pack, and take account of stock."

Pierre assisted at the task. Though he had been impatient to get away
from that locality, still too dangerously near his mother's rule,