"Couldn't," answered Charley. "Didn't reach Old Ironsides camp site until long after dark. Forest fires have burned up all the timber there. Spring dried up, too. Had terrible time. Awful thirsty and no water to drink. Too tired to put up aerial." "Where are you now?" "In the third valley east of Old Ironsides. Never been so far in the mountains before. Grand stand of timber here. Great trout stream. Full of big ones. Won't touch worms or flies. Just been catching crabs to try to-morrow." "Get any yet?" "One big one." "Have any adventures?" "Not unless you call our experience in the burned timber an adventure. Toughest thing I've stacked up against in a long time. Timber burned for miles. No fish. Raccoons catching 'em out of the little pools. Had to come here to get any. What are you doing?" "Everybody hard at work. I got a new job yesterday helping a fellow make a wireless outfit." "Where?" "Right here. We're making it in my shop." "Will you be there to-morrow?" "Sure. All day." "We'll call you." "Good! I'll listen in every hour on the hour. Then you can get me almost any time." "Bully for you. We're going to fish to-morrow, but we may catch so many in the morning that we won't want to fish after dinner. I'll let you know how we make out. Good luck to you all. Wish you were here. We'll bring you a nice mess of fish, anyway. Good-night." "Good-night and good luck." "I wish they were here," said Lew, as Charley covered the instruments to protect them from dampness, and moved over near his chum. "It doesn't seem right to be in the forest without the whole crowd. This makes me think of our camp in the forest near the Elk City reservoir, when we were hot on the trail of the dynamiters. I'd hate to camp out at this time of year without any fire." "Well, let's turn in. We want to get up early to-morrow and try those crabs. I'll bet we get a bunch of trout." "Bet we do, too," replied Charley. Little did he dream that on the morrow he would be engaged in matters far more serious than catching trout. Chapter VII The Forest Afire The earliest rays of light had hardly penetrated beneath the giant pines the next morning before the two boys were astir. Their breakfast was quickly cooked and eaten. Then they buckled on their bait boxes, now bulging with worms and crayfish. They carried as well their books of flies. And Charley slipped the little axe into his belt, to have something to chop with in case they wanted to hunt for whiteworms. "Let's go back where we caught that big fellow last night," said Lew. "There may be some more like him in those deep pools." "All right. Come on." With nothing but their little rods to carry, they made fast time through the forest, and had already reached the pool in which the big trout was taken, before the first ray of sunlight came flashing among the tree trunks. "We're going to have a fine day," said Charley. "It's my turn to catch a fish. Here goes for a try."