Chapter 2 - Building the Fort

The next day Randy, Trevor, Aaron, and Susan all met at the fort site.

"Today," Trevor explained, "What we need to do is to cut down eight trees, about 5 inches thick and 7 feet long. Randy and Susan, you two get four trees; Aaron and I will get the other four. Here are hatchets and saws to cut the trees down and strip them of their branches. Meet back here at about 11:45 A.M. Now let's go!"

Randy and Susan set off in the direction of the stream for their share of the wood. After about two hours of chopping, hacking, and sawing trees, the two took a break and went swimming in the stream. The water was cool and refreshing.

After the swim came the problem of getting the cut trees to the fort site. Then Randy got the idea to tie the logs together with some rope he had brought, float them down the stream into the lake, and then to the fort site. This procedure took about 45 minutes, and so when they arrived at the fort site, it was exactly 11:45.

Trevor and Aaron arrived a few minutes later with their four logs. When they saw how Randy and Susan had gotten their logs to the site they burst out laughing, but they saw how much easier it had been to float the logs.