Читать книгу Camping in the Winter Woods: Adventures of Two Boys in the Maine Woods онлайн

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“Looks like they’d make good,” was the sleepy reply.

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With the first gleam of daylight Ben was astir cooking breakfast. Awakened by the noise, the boys dressed and jumped from the bunk to join him.

“Listen to that,” he cried, as a weird, trembling laugh sounded from the water. “That’s a loon; and if you fellows will sneak down to the shore of the lake you’ll get a peep at him.”

The boys ran outside and made their way quietly down the trail toward the lake, which they could see shimmering brightly between the tree-trunks.

The call was repeated, and, reaching a group of white birches growing at the edge of the water, they parted the branches and looked eagerly out. A great white mist was curling up from the water, and for some time they could see nothing more. Then George pointed excitedly out toward the center of the lake, and, following the direction with his eyes, Ed saw a large, dark bird with a white circle about its neck swimming leisurely along. Every few minutes it uttered a wild, tremulous laugh, and the lads endeavored to imitate it without success. They watched the loon while it swam about and dove beneath the water, until it finally disappeared from view.