On the morning chosen for the trip, Mrs. Brewster and Sary were up at day-break preparing the kit and packing the panniers. At breakfast, four eager girls, with wide sombreros on their heads, heavy mountain-shoes and leather puttees covering feet and limbs, talked of the great adventures they were about to meet with. Sam Brewster laughed at their wild imaginings and said: "Ah shouldn't wonder but what you-all will find a second 'Aladdin's Lamp' hiding place. Just think of the fun to be had by rubbing the Lamp and wishing for things!" Then Jeb brought the mounts from the barn and Sary helped him strap the panniers and kit to Choko. Just as they were ready to start, Sary flew out with a paper package carefully held. "Polly, Ah made a s'prise fer you-all, but don't let Choko roll in it er run away, er my work will go fer nuthin'." "Don't worry about Choko, Sary, he's too trustworthy to serve us such a trick," bragged Polly, petting the burro on the head. "Wall, then, see thet it hain't shooken up too much er gittin' mashed under the ax," were the parting words from Sary, as she shifted the short ax, which is an important item in every outfit. It was a wonderful summer day--the kind that makes one feel happy in mere living, and the anticipation of wonders to come added a zest to the outing for the girls. They left the trail leading from Pebbly Pit and picked up the rough mountain trail at the Forks, Barbara and Eleanor exclaiming constantly at the gorgeous wild flowers growing wherever the roots could find lodgment. "I never saw such columbines! Four times the size of ours in the East," cried Eleanor. "And those marvelous orange-colored blossoms! They look like a rare exotic, with their huge clusters and flaunting colors!" exclaimed Barbara. "If you girls think these are so beautiful, just wait till we reach the 'bottoms'--there you will see size and color enough to make you wonder if you accidentally struck Paradise," said Anne. "And our ferns and mosses, girls! You never saw such specimen, elsewhere," added Polly, churking to Choko to hurry on. "Polly, why did Jeb over-load that poor little burro?" now asked Barbara, having lost her momentary interest in flora. "Choko isn't over-loaded at all. Of course it looks as if he had a great load to carry, but pans and woolen blankets look more than they weigh, you see. The heaviest thing he carries is my ax, I reckon." "Ax! What do you want of an ax?" wondered Barbara. "Can't tell how cold it may be up on the mountain-top, so I brought the sheath-knife, ax, rifle, and other things in case we get the tail-end of a blizzard." "And the blankets in case we get lost and need to camp out all night," added Anne, teasingly, seeing the city girls' fears. "You can't really mean it, Anne! Surely we won't lose our way, and as for a blizzard! Well, it is July," laughed Barbara. "It wouldn't be the first time we ran into a blizzard in July," commented Polly.