always believed that I'd like to have a pet mink, though somebody told
me they couldn't be tamed."

"Yes," went on Giraffe scornfully, "if you had your way the whole boat'd
be a floating menagerie, you've got such a liking for pets. The mink
would soon be joined by a 'possum; then would come a pair of muskrats;
after which we'd expect to find a fox under our feet every time we
stepped; a wolverine growling like fun at us when we made the least
move; a squirrel climbing all over us; a heron perched on the garboard
streak, whatever that might be; and mebbe a baby bear rolling on the
deck. All them things are possible, once Step Hen gets started on his
collecting stunt."

"Well, forget it now, won't you, Giraffe, because there goes Bumpus
putting supper on the fire; and unless you look sharp he'll just cut
down your ration till you'll only get as much as any two of us," advised
Step Hen.

In spite of all these little encounters of wit, and the sharp things
that were sometimes said, boy fashion, these six churns were as fond of
each other as any lads could possibly be. There was hardly anything
they would not have done for one another, given the opportunity; and
this had been proved many times in the past.

While they were fond of joking the tall scout on his appetite, truth to
tell every one of the others could display a pretty good stowage
capacity when it came to disposing of the meals. And so they were all
anxious to help Bumpus when he started getting the camp supper ready.

Besides these six lads there were of course two others who went to, make