midday
Five prairie chicken were bagged on the way , and soon the hunters were once more at the camp-ground . Of course Holden 's first move was to strip , plunge into the river , and then robe himself in garments that were less like a rag-picker 's bundle . Meantime , Arnold set to work lighting a fire and preparing the chicken for roasting on wooden spits , as their camping experience had taught them . By midday the meal was in readiness . The birds were cooked , `` biscuits '' were baked in the camp-oven , the fragrant smell of coffee was issuing from a billy-tin , and all preparations completed to welcome the elder hunters . But time went past , and there was no sign of a canoe on the river . `` I wonder if they have missed their way ? ''