enty of dry wood under the fir
trees. Tom cleaned the fish and Ruth fried them to a delicious brownness
and crispness. With the other viands brought from home and cups of good,
hot coffee, the thirteen friends made a hearty and hilarious meal.

They were sheltered by the high cliff at their backs and did not notice
when the snow began to fall. But, after a time, they suddenly discovered
that the flakes were coming so thick and fast that it was all but
impossible to see the farthest fishing shelters.

"Oh, dear me! we don't want to go back yet," wailed The Fox. "And we were
catching them so fast. Do, do let's wait a while longer."

"Not much fun if it keeps on snowing this way," objected Bobbins.

"Don't begin croaking, little boy," advised his sister. "A few flakes of
snow won't hurt us."

Nevertheless, the storm did not hold up. It was more than a "flurry" and
some of the others, as well as Bob Steele, began to feel anxious.

CHAPTER XXI

JERRY'S CAVE

For a while they tried to shelter themselves with the canvas, and shouted
back and forth through the falling snow that they were having a
"scrumptious" time. But some of the girls, as Isadore said, "began to
weaken."

"We don't want to be lost in the snow as we were the time we went for
balsam at Snow Camp," said Helen.

"How can you get lost--with us fellows along?" demanded Busy Izzy, in vast
disgust.

"Can't a boy be lost?" demanded Ann Hicks, laughing.

"Not on your life!" declared the irrepressible Isadore.

But just then Madge Steele got up and declared she had had enough. "This
hole in the ice is filling up with snow. We'll lose the fish we've already
caught if we don't look out. Come on, Bobby, and get mine."

So it was agreed to cut the fishing short for that day, although The Fox
declared she could have beaten them all in another hour.

However, they had a great load of the frozen fish. Besides what they had
eaten for dinner, there were at least a hundred handsome fellows, and the
boys had strung each fisher's catch on a birch twig which they had cut and
trimmed while coming down to the lake that morning.

Tom and Ruth, left at the campfire to clean up after the mid-day meal,
were shouting for them to come in. The girls left the boys to wind up the
fishlines and "strike camp," as Ralph called taking down the pieces of
canvas, and all hustled for the shore. They crowded around the fire, threw
on more fuel, danced to get their feet warm