Part 12 (1/2)

”Sure, if it's something I can do. You know, I'm a regular grafter now, just living off Spider. What is it?”

”Cooking mostly. Tastes to me as if you could do that,” the Ranger said, as he took a sip of Joe's coffee, and a bite of the fried eggs and bacon Joe had also cooked for him, as they talked.

”I can cook all right--I learned that in the Boy Scouts,” Joe answered, eagerly. ”Is it for a party?”

”Yes, it's a special party--a couple o' congressmen and their wives and families. The Park superintendent wants me to show 'em around the circuit a bit--have to be nice to congressmen, because Congress appropriates what little money we get to build trails with. All the camp cooks are out on trips now, and I'm up against it unless you'll go along.”

”I'm your man!” Joe cried, eagerly.

”Well, you're as good as a man when it comes to coffee,” Mills grinned.

”I'll get a guide to help out with the packing and the heavy work. We start to-morrow morning, early. Be up here at seven.”

”O.K.,” cried Joe, with a salute, and hurried back to tell Tom the news.

Spider looked grave. ”I dunno about it,” said he. ”You know what the doc said about overworking. I dunno whether I'll let you go.”

”But it won't be overworking,” Joe cried. ”Gee, I feel great now, anyhow, and it's just cooking, and the Ranger's going to get a guide to do the heavy packing, and I'll be on horseback all the time, and out in the air, and, gosh, but it's a great chance to see the Park, and earn some money to pay you back----”

”Oh, forget that!” said Tom. ”What's your pay going to be?”

”Don't know--didn't stop to ask,” Joe laughed.

”You're a great little business man, you are,” Tom said. ”Well, you can try it this trip, if you'll come over now to the hotel and get weighed, and have your temperature taken.”

The hikers had gone for the day, and the camp was vacant, so the two scouts went around to the hotel at once, and Joe climbed on the scales.

Tom set them at a hundred and thirty, but the weight did not drop. He moved the indicator weight pound by pound till he reached a hundred and thirty-nine, before he reached a balance.

”Gosh,” cried Joe, ”that's almost ten pounds I've put on since I left little old Southmead!”

”Yes, and you haven't coughed for a week,” Tom added. ”You're on the mend, all right, all right. But you got to stay so, and I dunno about letting you go on this trip--it'll be hard work cooking for a whole lot o' people.”

”Aw, please!” Joe pleaded. ”I feel great now, honest I do. Besides, it's all out in the open air.”

”Well, you can try it this once,” Tom finally said. ”But if you have any fever, or have lost any weight, or are f.a.gged, when you get back, or have any signs of a cold, or cough, no more trips for you!”

”Yes, doctor,” Joe answered, meekly.

They went back to the camp, and Joe spent the afternoon studying the government topographical survey map of the Park he had bought at the hotel, overhauling his personal equipment, and then, at the supply depot of the Glacier Park Saddle Company, which furnishes the horses, tents, guides, blankets, etc., for camping and horseback parties in the Park, selecting what he wanted in the way of cooking utensils and provisions for his party.

Mills said they would be out five days, and there were to be two men, two women, two girls and a boy in the party, besides Mills, Joe and two guides, for Mills had decided they'd need two. That made eleven people in all, or a hundred and sixty-five individual meals. Joe began to think, when he came to figure it out, that it was more of a job than it looked at first, especially when all the stuff had to be packed on horseback. He planned for canned soups, for coffee, tea and cocoa, served with condensed milk, of course; for plenty of bacon; for two or three meals of eggs, packed in a small crate; for two meals of beef (which, of course, would not keep, and would have to be served the first two days out); for pancakes and ”saddle blankets” (a kind of pan-fried cake served with syrup, the syrup coming in cans); for bread, of course, if he had time to make any; and, finally, beans, sardines, crackers, some canned vegetables, and jam, marmalade and canned peaches. All these things could be carried easily, as they came in tins or jars. All that was needed were the horses. He got everything ready to be packed in the morning, and hurried back to camp to get Tom's supper. Tom was busy with a big crowd of hikers, who had just arrived over Piegan Pa.s.s, and it was late before the two boys sat down to their meal.

”I sort of hate to go now,” Joe said. ”I'll be seeing all the Park, and you having to stick around here and make beds for the hikers. When I get back, I'm going to ask Big Bertha to let me run the camp, while you have a trip.”

”_Yes_ you are!” Spider laughed. ”You're going to rest a whole week after you get back. You look tired already. Guess I won't let you go, after all.”

”I'd like to see you stop me!” Joe answered, as he took a third helping of pancakes.

”Well, you eat like a well man, I must admit,” said Spider, reaching for what was left.