It did not take them long to get their things aboard the Snapper, and keeping their eyes open, they moved along the stream. They had scarcely covered half a mile when Snap, who was at the bow, gave a shout.
"The lake! The lake!"
"Where?" came from the others.
"Right around the bend, on the left. Pull on, fellows, and we'll soon be there."
Whopper and Shep bent to the oars and the turn mentioned was soon passed. Then all saw before them a clear, deep body of water, the farther end lost in the distance. On both sides were tall mountains, covered with pines and other trees which came down to the water's edge. The surface of the big lake was as smooth as glass, and just in front of them they could see the bottom, twenty or thirty feet below.
"What a beautiful lake!" murmured Shep.
"But how wild, and how lonely!" added Giant, after a look around.
"It looks lonely because we are not used to it," answered Snap. "I felt the same way the first time I went up to Lake Cameron and to Firefly Lake."
"That's it," put in Whopper. "After we have tramped along the shore, and rowed around
