"The boys should be out the first of June, and Jamie and I will go on the first mail boat, the last of the month," said Doctor Joe. "It all depends on our getting the furs. We _must_ have the furs, and there's no reason to doubt we'll have them."

Jamie had faith, and plenty o' grit, too. _He_ had no doubt that David and Andy would come home with a fine lot of furs.

And so they all waited and watched hopefully and expectantly for the return of the hunters, never once dreaming of disappointment or failure, or how strangely awry their plans were to go, as so often is the case with the best laid plans.

XXI

THE TRAIL OF THE DESERTER

Indian Jake took a straight course down the lake and through the Narrows. Crossing the lower expansion he turned upon the broad white bed of the river. This he followed until he reached a point where the ice, covering the swift flowing current, became unsafe. Here he entered the forest skirting the north bank, and under cover of the trees kept his rapid pace until mid-afternoon.

During the forenoon the storm had been steadily increasing in violence. Traveling had become uncomfortable and difficult, and, choosing a convenient place to pitch his tent, Indian Jake stretched it between two trees. A full ten feet of snow covered the forest floor and with no attempt to clear a camping place he proceeded to make himself comfortable on the surface of the snow.

He first secured the tent around the bottom with long pegs that sunk deep into the snow and held the canvas firm and taut. Then with his ax he cut two green b.u.t.ts of trees, and laying them side by side and a few inches apart just within the tent, erected his tent stove upon them. The green b.u.t.ts would not burn easily, and their ends, extending a considerable distance beyond the stove on each side, would support it and prevent its sinking when the snow beneath melted with the heat.

From within the stove he withdrew three lengths of stovepipe, joined them and set them in position, and the stove was ready for a fire.

Before kindling the fire, however, Indian Jake gathered several armfuls of boughs, snapping them from low-hanging limbs with a deft twist of the wrist. These he spread with some care, as a carpet for the tent, and as a protection from the snow beneath. Indian Jake's shelter now prepared to his satisfaction, he unlashed the toboggan, carried the contents within, and stowed them away with a view to comfort and convenience.

Then taking his ax he devoted himself to chopping firewood of proper length for the stove. Swinging his ax dexterously and industriously for thirty minutes, a sufficient supply was acc.u.mulated to serve his needs for several hours. This he piled in neat tiers just within the tent entrance, where it would be at hand when required. With a piece of birch bark for tinder, he now lighted a fire in the stove, and taking his kettle and ax went to the river for water.

When he returned a few minutes later the tent was warm and comfortable. He placed the kettle upon the stove, removed his adiky, and turned his attention to the preparation of dinner. Indian Jake had eaten nothing since early morning, and he was hungry.

Some fried whitefish and pork, some generous pieces of camp bread, and several cups of hot tea made a substantial and satisfying meal. When they were disposed of, the half-breed sliced black tobacco from a plug, filled his pipe, lighted it from the fire with a shaving, and settled himself for luxurious rest.

After the manner of those who are much alone, Indian Jake had the habit of thinking aloud, and now he proceeded to converse audibly with himself.

"Fifteen hundred dollars worth of fur," said he. "It's a fine hunt, takin' it all, with what th' lads got. I never had half as much fur at one time in my life before. I made a good hunt myself. With theirs it makes a fine lot. But they're dead, and they'll never know what I got; I never told 'em. And they'll never know what I does with any of it."

He was silent for a time, then continued:

"They was good fellers t' hunt with. They had a good lot o' grit, too.

It was pretty hard for 'em sometimes, on nasty days, but they stuck to it, and got th' fur. I had some good times with 'em, too. Had a good time Christmas, surprisin' 'em with th' goose and puddin'. I wonder why 'tis I like t' surprise folks, and get a good time out'n doin' it.

I had one surprise for 'em they'll never know about. I wonder how they'd have liked _that_ surprise.

"They brought th' fur down to th' Narrows tilt when I told 'em to. Th'

little feller wanted me t' bring mine in too, but I wa'n't goin' t' let 'em know what I had. He kinder suspicioned me, or somethin'. The way it turned out their fur was safe enough. I'd have got th' fur anyhow when I went up t' look for 'em.

"If I'd known where their traps were set I could ha' gone over 'em.

They might have some fur in 'em. I could 'a' struck 'em up and took care of 'em, too, like I did on my trail. 'Twouldn't have hurt me any to do that much for Tom Angus. He let me hunt his trail. But he'll find 'em when he comes in next fall."

After a little silence he mused:

"I wonder how Tom Angus is goin' t' take it when they don't show up."

Indian Jake's pipe had gone out. He pushed the ashes down in the bowl, relit it, renewed the fire in the stove, and rising looked out between the tent flaps at the falling snow. Returning to his seat he remarked:

"Likely t' be a nasty day tomorrow, and I may as well stay here. No use travelin' in nasty weather. They's plenty o' time. Guess I'll take it easy. n.o.body to worry about me, and I'm just as much t' home here as anywhere. I got grub enough. I may meet up with some o' th' Injuns, and I can travel with them.

"Home!" said he, after a silence. "Th' lads were thinkin' a big lot about th' time when they'd go home. Now they'll never go there. Home's th' finest place in th' world t' be when a feller has one. Huh! What's th' use thinkin' about that. I'll be gettin' homesick for a home I ain't got. This tent's a good enough home. It's got t' suit me, anyhow. It's all right."

The next day it stormed, as Indian Jake had predicted, and he did not leave his camp, but the morning following was clear, and he again set forward.

At midday the half-breed halted to boil the kettle, and making his way toward the river to obtain water, he suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. The wind was blowing up from the opposite side of the river.

"Smoke!" he exclaimed. "They's some one camped across the river!"

Cautiously he stole down to the river bank, and from the cover of brush scanned the opposite sh.o.r.e. His sharp eyes quickly detected half hidden by trees and drift, a small log tilt. Smoke was rising from the protruding stovepipe.

"Who can that be trappin' in there?" Indian Jake asked himself.

As though in answer to his question the tilt door opened, and Uncle Ben Rudder, with kettle and ax, came down to the river, cut open a water hole, filled his kettle and returned to the tilt.

"Th' old wolverine!" exclaimed Indian Jake when Uncle Ben had disappeared. "What's he doin' in here? Tried t' keep me from huntin'!

If he'd had _his_ way Thomas Angus wouldn't have let me have the Seal Lake trail! Always meddlin' with other folks' business! Well, I got th' trail, and th' fur too, you old skunk!"

The half-breed grinned triumphantly, and his face was not pleasant to see then.

"He'll find out somethin' before I'm through with him," added Indian Jake, and turning about with his unfilled kettle he cautiously returned under cover of the trees to his toboggan. "Wouldn't he like t' run on me now! Wouldn't he like t' know about th' fur I've got!"

Indian Jake resumed his journey. To light a fire would be too dangerous, for even with the wind in an opposite direction, a whiff of smoke carried across the river might disclose his presence to Uncle Ben, and Indian Jake had reason to look upon Uncle Ben as an enemy that just at the present time he did not care to encounter.

Camping at night and traveling leisurely by day, Indian Jake continued down the valley of the Nascaupee until, one afternoon, a little way above the place where the river empties into Grand Lake, he fell upon numerous indications of the presence of bears. A careful examination satisfied him that these were made late the previous fall, and that there were at least two, and possibly more bears, hibernating in the immediate vicinity. His Indian instinct to permit no game to escape him was aroused. Presently the bears would come forth from their long winter sleep. They would be hungry, and could easily be trapped. The temptation was too strong to be resisted.

"I'll have time t' get away over th' ice," he decided. "I can fix up some sort of a canoe while I'm waitin', and if I get caught by th'

break-up I can make out. Like as not some of th' Injuns'll be along anyhow. They'll let me go along with 'em. I'm thinkin' I'll stay here a while and trap bear."

And so Indian Jake pitched his camp, made himself comfortable, and began the building of deadfalls, in antic.i.p.ation of the time when the bears would come forth from their dens.

Here in the seclusion of the forest the half-breed was safe enough from discovery. None would pa.s.s this way save the Indians who were his friends, and Uncle Ben Rudder, upon whom he looked as an uncompromising enemy. But not until after the break-up in June would Uncle Ben pa.s.s down the river and into Grand Lake in his boat. Indian Jake had the advantage of time. He would break camp and be away before June. In any case there was no probability that Uncle Ben would go ash.o.r.e here, and even though he did, Indian Jake's tent was sufficiently hidden to escape detection. He took good care that this should be the case, and he also took good care to leave no trace along the river bank that would give hint of his presence, or arouse suspicion that he was in the vicinity.

XXII

THE BURNING TILT

David and Andy were made as comfortable as ever they could be in a wigwam. Sa-peesh and his family, but particularly A-mish-ku and Ni-pit-se, were well pleased to have them there. They had seen none save the members of their own family since the previous autumn, and A-mish-ku, after the manner of boys the world over, craved the companionship of other boys, and he and Ni-pit-se were glad to see new faces and hear new voices.

Ni-pit-se was shy at first, but her timidity pa.s.sed away quickly enough. And she took it upon herself to minister to David's and Andy's needs, and she found a vast deal of pleasure in nursing them. Their coming, and these new duties, made a welcome break in the monotony of the days, for even an Indian maiden wearies sometimes of the changeless solitary routine of her wilderness life.

And so, despite the pain and discomfort of their temporary affliction, David and Andy were well content, and recovered so rapidly from their attack of s...o...b..indness that they might have returned to their trail at the end of a week but for the fact that Andy's feet were frostbitten, and still too sore to walk so far. And so, of necessity, they tarried another week in the wigwam of Sa-peesh, much to the satisfaction of the A-mish-ku and Ni-pit-se.

During this fortnight the days were rapidly lengthening and the sun was growing stronger, though as yet there was no softening of the snow even at midday and the nights and mornings were crisp and frosty enough. With every day, as the sun grew brighter, the glare on the snow increased until the world was a dazzling expanse of scintillating, blinding light. No longer was it safe to go abroad, even for an hour, with naked eyes, save in dull and cloudy weather.