CHAPTER VI
PUTTING UP THE TENTS
"How long will it take us to get to Lake Wanda, Mother?" asked BunnyBrown, as, with Sue and Uncle Tad, he and his mother sat in the back ofthe big car that rumbled along the road.
"Oh, we ought to get there about noon," she answered.
"Just in time to eat," said Uncle Tad. "I suppose you children will begood and hungry, too."
"I'm hungry now," said Sue, "I wish I had a jam tart, Mother."
"So do I!" put in Bunny.
"I'll give you one in a few minutes," Mrs. Brown said. "We did have anearly breakfast, and I suppose you are hungry now."
"Will we have to cook dinner as soon as we get to camp?" Bunny wanted toknow.
"If we do I'll help," said Uncle Tad with a smile. "I can build acampfire. When I was a soldier, in the army, down South, we used tobuild campfires, and roast potatoes when we couldn't find anything elseto eat."
"Did they taste good, Uncle Tad?" asked Sue.
"Indeed they did, little girl. And we had roast ears of corn, too. Theywere even better than the potatoes."
"I guess we'll have to make Uncle Tad the camp cook," said Mother Brownwith a smile, as she brought out a basket of lunch for Bunny and Sue. Inthe basket were some cakes, sandwiches and a few of the jam and jellytarts that Aunt Lu used to make. Only, as Aunt Lu had gone back to hercity home, Mrs. Brown had learned to make the tarts, and Bunny and Suewere very fond of them.
As they rode along in the big automobile the children ate the littlelunch, and enjoyed it very much. Uncle Tad took some too, for he hadgotten up early, with the others, and he was hungry.
"I wonder if Daddy and Bunker Blue wouldn't like a tart," murmured Sue,after a bit, as she picked up the last crumbs of hers.
"Perhaps they would," said Mother Brown. "But they are away up on thefront seat, and I don't see how we can pass them any. There is too muchin the auto, or I could hand it to them out of the little window back ofthe seat. But I can't reach the window."
"I know how we could pass them a tart," said Bunny.
"How?" asked his mother.
"Climb up on the roof of the auto, and lower the lunch basket down tothem with a string."
"Bunny Brown! Don't you dare think of such a thing!" cried his mother."The idea of climbing onto the roof of this big automobile when it'smoving!"
"Oh, I didn't mean when it was _moving_," Bunny said. "I wouldn't dothat, for fear I'd be jiggled off. I meant to wait until we stopped.Then I could get up on the roof."
"No need to do that," said Uncle Tad. "For when we stop, then one of youcan get down, and run up ahead with something for daddy and BunkerBlue."
And, a little later, the automobile did stop.
"What's the matter?" called Mrs. Brown to her husband, who was up on thefront seat. "Did anything happen?"
"No, only the automobile needs a drink of water," answered Mr. Brown. Ihave told you how automobiles need water, as much as horses do, or asyou do, when you get warm. Of course the automobile does not exactly_drink_ the water. But some must be poured in, from time to time, tokeep the engine cool. And this was why Bunker Blue stopped theautomobile now.
While he was pouring water in, dipping it up with a pail from a coldspring beside the road, Bunny and Sue got out and took their father andthe red-haired boy some jam and jelly tarts, and also some sandwiches.
"My! This is fine!" cried Mr. Brown, as he ate the good things Suehanded him. "I'm glad we're going camping; aren't you, children?"
"Oh, I should say we were glad!" cried Bunny, as he took a drink fromthe spring. There was half a brown cocoanut shell for a dipper, andBunny thought he had never drunk such cool, sweet water.
Then, when Bunker Blue had eaten his sandwiches and tarts, they startedoff once more, rumbling along the country roads toward Lake Wanda.
"I wish we'd hurry up and get there," said Sue. "I want to see whatcamping is like."
"Oh, we'll soon be there," promised Daddy Brown, "and there'll be workenough for all of us. We'll have three tents to put up, and many otherthings to do."
On and on went the big automobile. Splash ran along the road, some timeat the side of the car, sometimes behind it, and, once in a while, awayup ahead, as if he were looking to see that the road was safe.
After a bit the dog came back to the automobile, and walked along soslowly, with his red tongue hanging out, that Sue said:
"Oh, poor Splash must be tired! Let's give him a ride, Mother!"
"All right. Call him up here."
"Come on, Splash!" called Bunny and Sue, for they each owned half thedog. They had pretended to divide him down the middle, so each onemight have part of the wagging tail, and part of the barking head. Itwas more fun owning a dog that way.
Up jumped Splash into the back of the auto-moving van. He stretched outon a roll of carpet that was to be spread over the board floor of thebig tent, and went to sleep. But first Bunny had given him some sweetcrackers to eat. Splash was very fond of these crackers.
The automobile was going down hill now, and when it reached the bottomit came to a stop again.
"What's the matter now?" asked Mother Brown. "Does the auto want anotherdrink?"
"No, not just now," answered daddy. "Something has happened this time."
"Oh, I hope nothing is broken!" said Mrs. Brown.
"Not with us," answered her husband. "But there is an automobile justahead of us that seems to be in trouble. They are stuck in the mud, Ithink."
Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, their mother, Uncle Tad and even Splashgot out to see what the matter was. I don't really believe Splash caredwhat had happened, but he always went where Bunny and Sue went, and whenhe saw them go this time he went with them.
Walking up toward the front part of the big automobile, where BunkerBlue and Daddy Brown sat, Mrs. Brown, Uncle Tad and the children saw,just ahead, a small automobile, off to one side of the road. The wheelswere away down in the soft mud, and a man at the steering wheel wastrying to make the car move up onto the hard road, but he could not doit.
"You seem to be in trouble," said Daddy Brown. There were two ladies outon the road, watching the man trying to start the car.
"I am in trouble," said the man down in the mud. "I turned off the roadto pass a hay wagon, but I did not think the mud was so soft down here,or I never would have done it. Now I am stuck and I can't seem to getout."
"Perhaps I can help you," said Daddy Brown. "I have a very strongautomobile here. I'll go on ahead, keeping to the road, and I'll tie arope to your car, and fasten the other end to mine. Then I'll pull youout of the mud."
"I'd be very thankful to you if you would."
"Yes, we'd be ever so much obliged," echoed the two ladies, whose shoeswere all muddy from having jumped out of the automobile down into theditch.
It did not take Daddy Brown and Bunker Blue long to fasten a rope fromtheir automobile to the one stuck in the mud. Then when the bigauto-moving van, in which the Browns were going to camp, started offdown the road, it pulled the small car from the mud as easily asanything.
"Thank you, very much," said the man when he saw that he and the ladiescould go on again. "The next time I get behind a hay wagon I'll waituntil I have room to turn out, without getting into a mud hole. I'm verymuch obliged to you, Mr. Brown, and if ever you get stuck in the mud Ihope I can pull you out."
"I'm afraid you couldn't do it with your small car, when my auto is sucha large one." Mr. Brown answered, "but thank you just the same."
Then the man in his small automobile, rode off with the two women, and,a little later, the Browns were once more on their way.
It was a little before noon when they came in sight of a big lake, whichthey could see through the trees. It was not far from the road.
"Oh, what lake is that?" asked Mrs. Brown.
"That is Lake Wanda, where we are going to camp," said Mr. Brown. "We'llturn in toward it, pretty soon, and begin putting up the tents."
"You said we'
d have dinner first!" cried Bunny Brown.
"Are you hungry again?" asked his mother.
"I guess riding and being out in the air make them hungry," said UncleTad. "Well, children must eat to grow big and strong."
"Then Bunny and Sue ought to be regular giants!" laughed Mrs. Brown,"for they are eating all the while."
A little later the big automobile turned off the main road into asmaller one, that led to the lake. And when the children and Mrs. Brownhad a good view of the large sheet of water they thought it one of themost beautiful they had ever seen.
The lake was deep blue in color, and all around it were hills, andlittle mountains, with many trees on them. The trees were covered withbeautiful, green leaves.
"Oh, this is a lovely place," cried Mother Brown. "Just lovely!"
"I'm glad you like it," said her husband.
"I like it, too," echoed Bunny.
"So do I," added Sue.
"Well, shall we begin putting up the tents?" asked Mr. Brown. "It willbe night almost before you know it here. You see the hills are so highthat the sun seems to go to bed sooner here than he does at home."
"Oh, let's rest awhile before we do anything," said Mother Brown. "Justrest awhile and look at the lake."
"Hurrah!" suddenly cried Daddy Brown. "That's it! I've been trying tothink what to call it, but you've done it for me. That's just what we'llcall it! There couldn't be a better name!"
"Why, what are you talking about?" asked Mrs. Brown, in surprise.
"The name of our camp," explained Daddy Brown, laughing. "I have beentrying, ever since we started, to think of a good name for it.'Rest-a-While,' will be the very thing. That's just what you said amoment ago you know. 'Let's rest awhile and look at the lake.' So wewill call this Camp Rest-a-While! Isn't that a good name?"
"Why, yes, it does sound very nice," said Mother Brown. "CampRest-a-While! That's what we'll call it then, though I didn't know I wasnaming a camp. Well, children--Uncle Tad--Bunker--and all of us--Welcometo Camp Rest-a-While!"
"Hurrah!" cried Bunny and Sue, clapping their hands.
And so the camp was named.
Mrs. Brown set out a little lunch, and they gathered about one of theboxes, in which the bed clothes were packed, to eat. The box was set onthe ground, under a big chestnut tree.
"Where are you going to put up the tents?" asked Mother Brown.
"Right where we are now," said Daddy Brown. "I think we could not find anicer spot. Here is a good place for our boat, when we get it. It isnice and dry here, and we can see all over the lake. Yes, this is wherewe will put up the tents for Camp Rest-a-While."
And, after they had all eaten lunch, including Splash, who was as hungryas Bunny or Sue, the work of putting up the tents was begun. The canvashouses were unrolled, and spread out on the ground. Then Daddy Brown,with Bunker Blue and Uncle Tad to help, put up the tent poles, andspread the canvas over them. By pulling on certain ropes, raising thepoles, and then tying the poles fast so they would not fall over, thetents were put up.
There was the big one, that could be made into two or even three rooms,for them all to sleep in, Bunny, Daddy Brown, Uncle Tad and Bunker Bluein one part, and Mother Brown and Sue in the other, with a third partfor company.
The big tent was almost up. Only one more rope needed to be made fast.Bunker Blue was pulling on this when Bunny and Sue, who were helping,heard Splash give a sudden bark. Then the dog jumped into the lake, andthe children, looking, saw a great commotion going on in the water nearshore. Splash seemed either to have caught something, or to have beencaught himself. He was barking, howling and whining.
"Oh, a big fish has caught Splash! A big fish has caught our dog!" criedSue, and, dropping the tent rope, of which she had hold, down to theedge of the lake she ran.