They had entered a forest of tall pines, so tall that the lads were
obliged to crane their necks to see the tops.
"This is the beginning of the beginning," announced Professor Zepplin
somewhat enigmatically. "This is the forest primeval."
"I don't know," replied Chunky, peering through a car window. "It
strikes me that we've left the evil behind and got into the real thing."
"What is it, Professor?" asked Tad Butler.
"As I have said, it is a primeval forest. This great woodland stretches
away from the very base of the San Francisco mountains southward for a
distance of nearly two hundred miles. We are taking a short cut through
it and should reach Flagstaff in about an hour from now."
"Hurrah! We're going to see the Flagstaff in an hour," cried Stacy,
his face wreathed in smiles.
"A further fact, which is no doubt unknown to you, is that this enormous
forest covers an area of over ten thousand square miles, and contains
six million, four hundred thousand acres."
The boys uttered exclamations of amazement and wonder.
"If you'd said ten acres, I'd understand you better," replied Stacy.
"I never could think in such big figures. I'm like a rich fellow in
our town, who doesn't know what money is above a certain sum."
"Well, what about it?" demanded Tad.
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