It seemed a very long way to the opening; the girls were becoming tired; and we boys with the baskets had quite enough of it, long before we reached the ford which Addison and Thomas, who had been here before, remembered to be near two very tall pines. Several times we feared that we must have passed it; but finally, at about four o'clock, the great bushy opening on the other side of the stream came in view. Immediately then Addison saw the pines, and taking off our boots and stockings, we all walked across on a sandy bar over which the water ran in a shallow, being nowhere over a foot deep. It was quite cold, however, so that we were glad to replace socks and boots, after crossing. The old slave's cabins stood about two hundred yards from the brook and, as above described, were situated some twenty yards apart. The land about them had been cleared at one time and put into grass, or corn. But low clumps of hazel-nut bushes were now growing around the cabins. About a year previously a party of deer hunters had camped here for a few days and, thinking the cabins snug and pleasant, had cleared them out nicely and built bunks in them to sleep in. We found the remains of their old couches of fir boughs still in the bunks. Their camp-fire had been made in the open space, midway between the two cabins; and they had constructed a species of stone fireplace for setting their kettles in. "Here we are!" Addison exclaimed, as we set down our baskets. "What say to this for a camping-place, girls!" "Oh, this is jolly!" cried Kate. "And won't it be nice, Doad, we girls can have a whole cabin all to ourselves! Now which one can we have?" "You are privileged to take your choice," replied Addison. "Take the one you like best." The girls went peeping into each, to examine them well, and were in doubt for some moments. In fact, there was not much to choose betwixt the two. At length, Kate announced that they would have the one "the old slave" lived in, himself. "No doubt he spent many a lonesome hour there," said Theodora. "I should like to know his history." "That's what nobody can find out," said Tom. "But I am glad he lived here and left his hut for us to camp in." We sat on the grassy sward of the old yard and rested for some minutes, then began our preparations for supper. "Now we must all fall to with a will," said Addison. "It is a job to get things fixed up nice for night." "Addison, you be captain and tell us each what to do," suggested Kate. "We will all obey and work like good soldiers;--for we all want some supper, I guess." "Well, then," said Addison, "what do you want for your supper?" "Poached eggs on toast!" cried Ellen. "I think some of those partridges would go well," said Kate. "Would it take long to fricassee them?" Addison asked. "Oh, not very long," said Theodora.