The High School Boysapo Fishing Trip — H. Irving Hancock

Excerpt: ...they blew up," retorted Tom Reade. "They were surely the loudest I ever heard. I don't believe anything but the heaviest cannon could make as much noise." "Whoever touched off fireworks like these," uttered Dave, "didn't care a hang whether or not he set the woods on fire." "There was no fire danger," Dick rejoined. "The grass and everything in these forests is as green as can be. But let's look about and see if we can't find evidences of the explosion at this point." "There ought to be a good-sized hole in the ground right under where this piece of fireworks exploded," Tom guessed. "We ought to find, not far from here, some evidences of what explosives can do in ripping up the ground." "Now I remember that one of the explosions in the night sent something whizzing through the air over our heads." "Pieces of the pasteboard enclosing the mine, bomb or whatever kind of fireworks it was," Dick suggested. "But let's look for other debris around here." That single bit of scorched paper, however, was all that any of them could find. Tom discovered a spot where he thought the ground had been blackened, but Dave thought the blackened appearance due to humus soil, and so nothing came of the argument. "I think," yawned Dick, "this search will lead to the same result that the others did during the night. About all we can do is to go back to camp." The sun was up by the time that all six members of Dick & Co. were once more gathered about the remains of their campfire. "I don't know what you fellows are going to do," yawned Tom Reade. "As for me, at present a nap looks better than any shower bath or breakfast that was ever invented. No matter how much objection I hear, I'm going to get an hour or two more of sleep." That idea met with rather a hearty reception. Within three minutes all six high school boys were lying between blankets again, composed for sleep. No more explosions came to disturb their slumbers, which were deep and broken only when at last...