“Let us get out of here,” he said, with a shudder. “Who knows but what we have dropped into a regular nest of snakes.”
That he was right in his surmise was soon evident, for low hissings could be heard on several sides. Without delay they sprang across the bog swamp and took to the higher ground, where they could see every foot of the way before them.
“I’ve had snakes enough to last me the rest of the summer,” soliloquized Jerry. “I hate them worse than anything else in the world. Look!”
He pointed on ahead, to where there was a tree almost loaded with game birds. At a sign from Jerry both raised their guns and fired.
There was a flutter and a whirr, and then came a number of shrill cries from the birds which were wounded. These the boys at once proceeded to put out of their misery.
“Four birds,” said Harry, as he counted the lot. “That wasn’t bad, eh?”
“You’re right, Harry. We won’t get another such shot if we tramp all day.”
“I move we get back to the yacht. We have come a good distance, and it will be more than dinner time before we can make it.”
“I am with you. We can go out hunting again this afternoon, or try our hand at fishing.”
With the birds in their bags, Jerry and Harry set out on the return to the landing.
On the way they talked over the great yacht races soon to come off, and also of the proposed trip through the Poplar River to the large lake beyond.
“It will be a dandy trip,” said Jerry, and then he added, with much spirit: “How I would like to sail on one of the yachts and help win.”
“So would I,” rejoined Harry. “It would be great sport, not to say anything of the honor.”
When the chums arrived at the boat-landing they found Blumpo and the others waiting for them. A camp fire was burning a short distance away from the log house, and over this the birds were done to a turn by the youth, while the others prepared some potatoes and coffee brought from the yacht.
Blumpo’s father considered it a great holiday to have his son with him for the time being. He asked Blumpo how he was getting along with his studies, and was pleased to learn that the youth was making fairly good progress.
After dinner it was decided to sail around to the lower end of the island and try bass fishing, for which the lake was famous.