All of us were somewhat tired and sat down on the grass, or the benches, to rest awhile. The sun had already sunk near the tree-tops again; for by October 20th the afternoons are short in Maine. It was chilly, too. "There will be a harder frost to-night than there was last night," Addison remarked. Thomas brought wood and kindled a fire. "We must be stirring," he said. "It takes a long time to get dinner." "What are we going to have to-day for dinner?" Ellen asked. "_Deer_ steak, I suppose," said Catherine, laughing. "We must have those partridges that Willis shot this morning," said Addison. "I can catch more trout," said Thomas. "No; let's have the trout for breakfast," remarked Theodora. "They are splendid, fresh caught, for breakfast." Willis went to get the partridges which he had hung up in a clump of hazels, a little way back of the cabins, but immediately returned, saying that they were missing. "Some creature has smelled them and pulled them down, I guess," said he. "Suppose it was a _deer_?" asked Kate. "Keep quiet," said Tom. "You've said enough about _deer_." "If she says _deer_ again, let's tie that green deer hide over her head, Tom!" exclaimed Willis. "You will not hear me say anything more, but I shall go on thinking, all the same," replied Catherine. Theodora had gone into their cabin, to fetch our tin ware and frying-pan. "Why!" she exclaimed, coming hastily out, in some fluster, "almost all our bread is gone!" "Then somebody's been here," said Addison, "while we were away." "Everything in the baskets has been pulled over," said Theodora. We went to examine and found the baskets had really been disturbed, but nothing save bread had been removed. "Some hungry hunter, I guess," said Addison. "Well, I hope it did him good." "I reckon there's where the partridges went," said Tom. "Well, he wasn't a very bad visitor," said Willis, "or he might have stolen a good deal more." "Indeed, he might," said Theodora. "But I wish he had left our bread and butter alone," exclaimed Ellen. "Who knows how dirty his hands were!" "This raid cuts our dinner down a little,--losing those partridges," said Tom. "So let's have our _venison_ and some eggs fried with it." But on looking into the basket, all the eggs were found to have disappeared, save eight! "Worse and worse!" Addison exclaimed. "We shall have to fall back on potatoes, and do some good hunting and fishing during the rest of our stay here." Tom was already slicing up the rather odd-looking venison, getting it ready to fry. Addison brought water and put on potatoes to boil; and Kate declared that she was going to make a dish of Indian meal mush, and have some of it to fry for breakfast, next morning. Willis took the gun and slipped away, intending to knock over a few more partridges, to go with the one he had just shot, across the stream. Ellen, too, went out to gather hazel nuts.