36 jock's lake. 



that in a short time he had a large pile of heavy sticks 



ready for the all-night tire. 



" Here we are— and here's supper tit for a king!" sang 

 out Benson, as that worthy approached, holding up a 

 string of trout. The ponderous Professor, following hard 

 after, added— "and, gentlemen, if there's to be a division of 

 labor in this camp, please allot to me the task of providing 

 brain food for this company, as found embodied in the 

 speckled trout of Jock's Lake." 



It was almost no time before the trout, with a little fat 

 pork, were in the frying pan; and Horace watched them 

 as they hissed and sizzled and curled, and turned them at 

 the opportune moment, and at length pronounced them 

 done. 



" And I must confess, well done, thou good and faithful 

 cookl" said Thompson, who seized a little trout by the 

 tail and swung it deftly to his mouth and closed his teeth 

 upon the delicious morsel. 



"I enter a protest," exclaimed the lawyer of the party. 

 " against any unequal distribution of the assets of tbis firm ; 

 —share and share alike is a part of the original contract 

 1 )etween us. Besides, a clerk in the United States Treasury 

 ought to have learned to treat the public property that 

 comes within his reach a little more sacredly." 



'Tf you were on ship-board, Thomp.," said the sailor- 

 merchant, "you'd be rolled on a barrel for that trick." 



"It strikes me, gentlemen," retorted Thompson, "that 

 by your common consent I am your Captain. Therefore, 

 I make the laws. I here and now"— and he munched his 



