The five stood in silence, gazing at the lake and the gem of a wooded island.

The light from the sinking sun gleamed in red and gold flame across the silver waters, and on the wooded island the boughs of the trees seemed to be touched with fire.
"That's where we are to stay," said Henry, pointing to the little island.
"No Indian will ever trouble us there." "Why ?" asked Paul, looking at him questioningly.
"Wait and you'll see," replied Henry.
Henry led the way along the shore, and from a dense thicket at the water's edge he took a light canoe.
"I captured this once," he said; "brought it across the woods and hid it here, thinking it might be useful some day, and now you see I am right.
Get in! Light as it is, it will hold us all." Henry and Ross took the paddles, and they pushed out into the lake.
Shif'less Sol uttered a long and deep sigh of satisfaction.
"Now, this jest suits a tired man," he said.

"Henry, you an' Tom can paddle jest ez long ez you please.

I'd like to do all my travelin' this way." "An' you'd get so lazy you'd want somebody to come an' feed you with a spoon," said Jim Hart.
"An' it would jest suit me to have you do it.

That's jest the kind uv a job you're fit fur, Jim Hart." "Shet up, you two," said Ross.