Part 10 (1/2)

”'This is the forest primeval,'” quoted Sahwah, ”'The murmuring pines and the hemlocks--'”

”Only they aren't murmuring pines and hemlocks,” she finished. ”They're mostly oaks and beeches.”

”It isn't the primeval forest, either,” said Veronica. ”There's a tent over there between the trees.”

”Gracious!” exclaimed Sahwah, ”and here am I, coming along with my shoes and stockings in my hand!” She sat down hastily and put on her foot-gear.

The tent stood quite close to the brook path and when they were nearly up to it they heard, coming from around the other side of it, a sound of vigorous splas.h.i.+ng, punctuated by protesting squawks. Involuntarily the two girls stood still and listened. Above the squawking rose a voice.

”'Curse on him,' quote false s.e.xtus, 'will not the villain drown?'” it declaimed dramatically.

Then in a moment the splashes and squawks increased to an uproar, and then around the corner of the tent there came a chicken in full flight, its leathers dripping with water, in spite of which it made amazingly fast time. After the chicken came a balloon-like figure in a sky-blue bathrobe, uttering breathless grunts which were evidently intended to be peremptory commands to the chicken to halt its flight. At the sight of the two girls standing in the path the bath-robed pursuer fell back in astonishment.

”'What n.o.ble Luc.u.mo comes next to taste our Roman cheer?'” he exclaimed with a dramatic wave of the hand.

Then he stood transfixed, the gesture frozen in mid-air. ”Sahwah!” he gasped. ”Veronica! where in the world----”

The girls started forward with unbelieving eyes. ”Slim!” cried Sahwah.

”What are you doing here?”

”Tenting on the Old Camp Ground,” replied Slim, holding his voluminous bathrobe primly around him with one hand to cover the bathing suit which he wore under it, and shaking hands vigorously with the other.

Then, making a trumpet of his hands, he called loudly, ”Captain, oh, Captain, come here quick!”

There was an upheaval inside the tent and the sound of something falling, and in a moment a second youth appeared around the corner of the tent, clad in khaki trousers and a blue and white blazer.

”What's the matter?” he asked in alarm. Then he saw the girls and threw up his hands in amazement. ”For the love of Mike!” he exclaimed elegantly.

”Captain!” cried Sahwah.

Rapturous greetings followed.

”Of all things,” said Sahwah, ”to run across you two in the woods like this! What on earth are you doing here? We thought you were doing some summer work at your college.”

”We are,” replied the Captain, looking from one to the other of the girls with a face beaming with delight at the unexpected meeting. ”We're making a survey of different parts of the state--it's part of our course--and incidentally we're compiling certain statistics for the government.”

”Oh!” said the two girls respectfully.

”But what, if I might make so bold as to ask,” said the Captain, ”are _you_ two doing here in the wet, wild woods, all by your wild lone?”

Sahwah explained and extended a cordial invitation for the two boys to come to Carver House whenever they had time.

”Is Hinpoha there?” asked Slim and the Captain simultaneously.

”She certainly is,” replied Sahwah.

Slim squinted critically down his nose at his tub-like form. ”Do you think I've gotten any thinner?” he asked anxiously.