About three o'clock
Then the other side of the story was told , and listened to with even greater interest . Clay was chaffed unmercifully about the calf , and Nugget also came in for a goodly share of ridicule . The failure of the boys to find Randy 's letter was a mystery at first , but Ned finally suggested that it had been blown into the water , which was no doubt the case . About three o'clock the boys broke camp . They were now thoroughly rested , and eager to be on the water again . Moreover the cleft among the rocks -- though admirably adapted for a hiding place -- had none of the qualifications which a good camping site should possess . A paddle of two miles brought the party to Tanner 's Dam , and when they had carried the canoes around and embarked on the lower side they passed the mouth of the real Otter Run .