Hazel put the bacon in the frying pan.  Each one, except Margery, found something to do and found joy in the doing despite their aches and pains, from which not a member of the Meadow-Brook party was free that evening.  The climbing had brought into activity little used muscles, as the girls had by this time discovered.

The supper was late that evening.  Janus had brought the small lantern.  This he secured above their heads by thrusting a stick into a crevice and suspending the lantern from it, thus shedding a little light besides that given off by the campfire.  The party sat down with their feet curled under them and thoroughly enjoyed the somewhat slender meal.

“How good everything does taste!” remarked Margery.

Jane averred that Margery’s accident had done her good.

“I’ve been thinking about the accident to our guide,” said Miss Elting.  “I don’t know yet how it occurred.”

“I caught my foot on a nub,” Tommy informed her.  “That pulled Mr. Januth down on hith fathe.”

“Oh!  I see.”

Mr. Grubb regarded Tommy suspiciously.  Her face wore an innocent expression, but when Tommy winked solemnly at Harriet, Janus was enlightened.

“Well, I swum!  I swum!” he repeated, “I believe you did that on purpose.”

“Why, Mr. Januth!” protested Tommy.

“Do ye deny it?”

“No, Mr. Januth, I don’t deny it.  Athk me and I’ll tell you the truth.”

“All right, I ask ye.  Did ye pull me down?”

“No, thir.  You fell down, didn’t you?  But I let my foot catthh on a nub.  I knew it would pull you over.  You made fatheth at me tho I helped you to fall down.  Oh, it wath funny!” Tommy laughed merrily.

“Grace Thompson!  I am amazed!” exclaimed Miss Elting.

“Tho wath Mr. Januth.  But I’m thorry, now.  I won’t do it again, if you won’t make fatheth at me.”

“Well, I swum!  Shake, little pardner!  You got the best of Janus Grubb that time, but his time will come.”

“You’ve got to promithe,” insisted Tommy.

“All right.  I promise.”

“Tho do I.”

Peace had been declared, greatly to the relief of the rest of the party, who did not know to what lengths Tommy Thompson might go to pay the score she thought she had against the guide who had grinned at her on seeing her in an unpleasant predicament that afternoon.

The meal finished, Janus went away to secure fresh fuel for the fire, the girls in the meantime setting the camp to rights, which meant spreading the blankets for the night and clearing away the dishes.

“There is one advantage about this kind of living,” observed Hazel; “we do not have any glassware to polish.”

“Nor silver,” added Margery.

Janus returned with an armful of wood.  The fire was built up, flaring into the air just as Tommy uttered a scream.  The scream was followed by a distant clatter.