The High School Boys Training Hike | Page 9

"before we
go into camp for the night."
"If we hike a couple more miles this morning, then halt, get the noon
meal and rest until two o'clock," replied young Prescott, "I think we
shall do better."
"If we've gone only eleven miles," protested Darrin, "then I'm certainly
good for twenty-five miles in all to-day, and I believe the rest of you
are, too."
"Wait until we've done eighteen or twenty miles," Prescott proposed.
"Then we can take a vote about making it twenty-five."
"For one thing," Darry objected, "none of us actually walks twenty-five
miles when we cover that distance. We take turns riding on the wagon,
and, as there are six of us, that means that each fellow rides something
like four miles of the distance covered."
"What Darry is driving at," proposed Danny Grin, "is that he wants to
devote himself wholly to walking hereafter. He doesn't care about
driving the horse."
"I'm big enough and cranky enough to do my own talking, when there

is any reason for my entering into the conversation," smiled Dave.
At a little after eleven that morning, when thirteen and a half miles had
been covered, all hands were willing enough to halt and rest, prepare
luncheon and rest again.
"But I still hope we shall cover the twenty-five miles to-day," Darry
insisted.
"No difficulty about that, either," declared Harry Hazelton. "Darry,
while we are swapping stories over the campfire this evening you can
take a lantern and do an extra five miles by way of an evening walk.
Then you'll be tired enough to sleep."
"I'll see about it," Darrin laughed.
"And that's the last we'll hear about it," Tom predicted dryly.
"It is the experience of every military commander, so I've read," Dick
went on, "that a long march the first day of a big hike is no especially
good sign of how the soldiers will hold out to the end. On the contrary,
military men have found that it's better to march a shorter distance on
the first day and to work up gradually to a good standard of
performance."
"All right," agreed Hazelton. "For one, I'm willing to take a rest after
eating, and then take the afternoon for getting acquainted with this
pretty grove."
"We won't quite do that, either, if I have my way," Prescott laughed.
"We ought to do a few miles this afternoon, but not set out to do any
record-breaking or back-breaking stunt."
"There goes hazy's dream up in the air," laughed Greg. "I just knew that
Hazy was planning how to spend the afternoon napping."
"I'll volunteer to drive all the way, this afternoon," Harry offered. "That
will give all of you fellows a chance to harden yourselves more on the

first day."
"If you want to know a good definition of 'generosity,' then ask Hazy,"
snorted Dalzell.
"Come on!" cried Dick good-humoredly. "Scatter. Some for wood,
some for water. Tom and I will get the kitchen kit ready for a meal. But
we must have the wood and water before we can prepare luncheon."
At that suggestion of something to eat there was a general rush to get
things in readiness. As soon as a fire was going in the stove in the
wagon, Dick put on a frying pan. Into this he dropped several slices of
bacon. Tom, over a fire built on the ground, set the coffee-pot going. In
a pot on the stove Dick put potatoes to cook.
Now Dave rattled out the dishes, as soon as Greg and Hazy had set up
the folding table. Dan placed the chairs.
"Get ready!" called Dick, as soon as he had fried two platters full of
bacon and eggs. Tom, will you try the potatoes?"
"Done," responded Reade, after prodding the potatoes with a fork.
"What shall we do with the food that's left over?" asked Danny Grin, as
he began to eat.
"There isn't going to be any food left over," Dick laughed. "You
fellows will be lucky, indeed, if you get as much as you want."
Everyone was satisfied, however, by the time that the meal was
finished.
"Greg and Harry may have the pleasure of washing the dishes," Dick
suggested.
"Oh, dear!" grunted Hazy, but he went at his task without further
remarks.
Before one o'clock everything was in readiness for going forward again,

save for putting the horse between the shafts of the wagon. Prescott,
however, put a proposition to rest until two o'clock before his chums. It
was unanimously carried.
Despite his desire for a walking record that day, Darry proved quite
willing to lie off at full length in the shade of the trees and doze as
much as the flies would permit.
Dick and Tom strolled slowly down toward the road, halting by a
couple