denburg and myself."

Afternoon tea was an enjoyable occasion that day, at which the principal
topic was their new guide.

At five minutes before six, after stamping out their little campfire,
the Overland party started for the log cabin. As they crossed the road
Hippy sniffed the air.

"I smell food!" he cried.

"Onions! Save me!" moaned Emma.

"No. It is something far and away ahead of mere onions," answered Hippy.
"I don't know what it is, but were this not so formal an occasion, I
should break into a run for it."

The door of the cabin stood open, so the party filed in unbidden. The
table was long enough for a lumberjack boarding house, constructed of
boards nailed together with cleats and placed on two boxes. Oilcloth
covered the boards and hung clear to the floor on either side. The ends
were open. There was a freshness and wholesomeness about the place that
attracted the girls at once.

"Set down!" commanded Joe, entering with a heaping platter of meat.

"That is what I smelled!" exclaimed Hippy. "May I ask what that meat is,
Mrs. Shafto?"

"Venison."

"Eh? Don't wake me up," murmured Hippy.

"Is the deer season on?" questioned Tom.

"No. Not till November fifteenth. This is smoked venison, killed last
season. I put down a lot of it in caches where the water will keep it
cool."

Another dish, a tinpanful of baked potatoes, came on with other smaller
dishes of vegetables; then the coffee was poured into the thick
serviceable cups that had already been placed by the plates, which,
together with two loaves of bread, comprised the meal. Appetites were at
concert pitch and it was with difficulty that Hippy Wingate restrained
himself until the girls were seated.

"Miss Dean, set down at the end where I can watch ye that ye don't fly
away. Sorry ye have to set on a box, but there ain't chairs enough to go
around. I give the Lieutenant a chair 'cause a box ain't safe for him.
He's a big feeder and the box ain't strong. Dip in, folks. Get started.
Help yourselves. This ain't no saciety tea."

The food was passed along and each Rider helped herself from platter and
pan, and every plate was heaped under the observant eyes that were
glaring through the big horn-rimmed spectacles to see that each person
helped herself to liberal portions.

Exclamations were heard all around the table when the girls had tasted
of the smoked venison. Hippy, however, was too busy to talk or exclaim
unless he were forced to