In this respect he bore a striking contrast to his more cautious companion, who possessed much of the gravity of his father.

Hector was as heedful and steady in his decisions as Louis was rash and impetuous.
After many futile attempts, and some skin knocked off their knuckles through awkward handling of the knife and flint, a good fire was at last kindled, as there was no lack of dry wood on the shore; Catharine then triumphantly produced her tin pot, and the eggs were boiled, greatly to the satisfaction of all parties, who were by this time sufficiently hungry, having eaten nothing since the previous evening more substantial than the strawberries they had taken during the time they were gathering them in the morning.
Catharine had selected a pretty, cool, shady recess, a natural bower, under the overhanging growth of cedars, poplars, and birch, which were wreathed together by the flexile branches of the vine and bitter-sweet, which climbed to a height of fifteen feet _[FN: Solatnum dulcamara,--Bitter-sweet or Woody nightshade.

This plant, like the red-berried briony of England, is highly ornamental.

It possesses powerful properties as a medicine, and is in high reputation among the Indians.]_ among the branches _[Illustration: THE FIRST BREAKFAST]_ of the trees, which it covered as with a mantle.

A pure spring of cold, delicious water welled out from beneath the twisted roots of an old hoary-barked cedar, and found its way among the shingles on the beach to the lake, a humble but constant tributary to its waters.