and securely tied with cord.

"Cut the strings," advised Reade, passing Dave a pocket knife
with one blade open.

Darrin, however, had lifted the parcel out to lay it on the ground.
It was fairly heavy, but Dave handled it with ease. Now he
cut the strings. As the papers were pushed aside he and the others
saw nothing at first but a lot of khaki-colored canvas.

"Fellows," declared Dick, "I don't believe this is a practical
joke, at all. It looks to me as though someone had sent us something
very much like a cook tent."

All thought of danger having now passed, Prescott and his comrades
unfolded the canvas. At the bottom of the package they found
something that caused them to send up a wild hurrah.

Two daintily modeled white maple paddles lay there. There were
two other objects made of wood that looked like seats.

"Fellows," gasped Dick, "don't you understand what this is?"

"I do," nodded Tom huskily. "I do, if not another soul in the
world does. Fellows, it's a collapsible canoe, all ready to set
up and run into the water. It's our boat, that we've been wanting
so badly. It's a beauty! Oh, shake it out! Lay it and let's
put the braces in! I shan't be able to breathe again until I
see this thing of beauty floating on the water!"