“It will be faster if we don’t”, Ed replied.
“I agree”, Dan relented. “ It worked, but considering the time for building, loading and unloading, and only to cover six miles - that’s too short of a distance to bother with.”
“Doug and I can have several loads to the rock slide in the time it takes to build the thing“, I offered.
“Joe and I will ride in and get everything packed and floated across the corner of the lake”, Doug added. “By the time you walk in we should have things ready to go.”
“And let’s have a nice big breakfast in the morning - hot cakes; sausage and eggs“, Doug suggested. “That ought to keep us going the rest of the day.”
Ed and I glanced at one another, and then eyed the other two. We had done all the cooking. I was never the great hunter, had no eye for game - couldn‘t see a moose in the bush, and had no great skill with a rifle… so I was usually promoted to camp general - i.e. the cook. I can’t speak for Ed’s skills, but he seemed have been elevated to the same rank. We both knew what was expected of us.
“That sounds fine”, Ed said. “Which one of you is going to cook.”
“What does that matter”, Dan screeched, his voice raised a half-octave above normal.
“Well”, it seems you two are always coming up with these grandiose menus, but Ed and I are the ones to execute them. I think you two might just starve to death if we weren’t along”, I added.
“Now just a minute”, Doug put in. “I can cook, but you two do it much better. It seems a waste for me to cook”.
“Well, waste us for a change“, Ed shot back.
“I know you can cook, Doug, but I’m picking on him right now”, I said, turning to Dan. “Your wife tells me she has to put your socks out in the morning or you’ll go to school barefoot.”
“What’s that got to do with me not cooking”, his voice raising a full octave.
“I was just offering it as further evidence of your near helplessness when it comes to domestic necessities.
“Okay. I’ll cook breakfast tomorrow morning. How’s that? Will that satisfy you?”
Ed hunched smaller in his seat and shivered a little. “We may not survive this hunt yet.”
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