It was another solid, grassy place, and was graced
with three little scrub trees which gave them a leafy roof under which
to lie. From the fringe of neighboring rushes the two cut enough to
strew their resting-place thickly, and so protect their bodies from the
damp ground. Then Humphrey dug a shallow fire-pit at the north, and,
after their mid-day meal, set diligently about collecting a store of
fuel. Little was to be found solid enough to cook with, and that little
he stored carefully apart, reserving a great heap of dead rushes and
reeds for the blaze which was to ward off the night dampness and make
them comfortable. In all these labors Hugo bore his share, for the two,
by tacit consent, were no longer master and man but comrades in need
and danger.
In collecting the reeds they took few from their immediate
neighborhood, wishing to be as protected from chance observation as
possible. And they found their wanderings in search of fuel full of
interest. At some distance from their camping-place they came upon a
muddy shallow. And there on the bank Hugo saw his first avoset or
"scooper," as Humphrey called him.
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