"That is the proper spirit. And now, lads, I have a message for you."
"A message for us!" cried Tim.
"Yes; from our friend Captain Slater, the lumberman and former Columbia River skipper."
"Old Cap Slater!" gasped Jack.
"Yes, again. It seems that in spite of his rough exterior the captain has a warm spot in his heart for those he likes, and, much as it may surprise you, the crowd seems to have won his favor."
The boys looked at each other in astonishment, and Jack, quite forgetting his table manners, burst into a roar of laughter, while a chorus of exclamations ran around the table.
"Well, can you ever believe it!" cried Sam.
"An' he used to say such real rude things to us," chirped Tim.
"And was so sorry when we came here," laughed Bob. "I told him it was only because he didn't kn
