Hungry, little 'un?"
He had worked hard all day steering the rafts, yet Nell had seen him
smiling at her many times during the journey, and he had found time
before the early start to arrange for her a comfortable seat. There
was now a solicitude in the frontiersman's voice that touched her.
"I am famished," she replied, with her bright smile. "I am afraid I
could eat a whole deer."
They all climbed the sandy slope, and found themselves on the summit
of an oval island, with a pretty glade in the middle surrounded by
birches. Bill, the second raftsman, a stolid, silent man, at once
swung his axe upon a log of driftwood. Mr. Wells and Jim walked to
and fro under the birches, and Kate and Nell sat on the grass
watching with great interest the old helmsman as he came up from the
river, his brown hands and face shining from the scrubbing he had
given them. Soon he had a fire cheerfully blazing, and after laying
out the few utensils, he addressed himself to Joe:
"I'll tell ye right here, lad, good venison kin be spoiled by bad
cuttin' and cookin'. You're slicin' it too thick. See--thar! Now
salt good, an' keep outen the flame; on the red coals is best."
With a sharpened stick Jeff held the thin slices over the fire for a
few moments. Then he laid them aside on some clean white-oak chips
Bill's axe had provided.
Pages:
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49