"They have to be," returned Sammy.

"Why?" demanded Tess, in wonder.

"Cause girls are such softies," declared the impolite Sammy.

They plunged ahead, wading far above their waists now. Behind the trees the hillside rose abruptly. It towered so above their heads in the snow that the children were almost scared. Suppose that hill of snow should tumble right down on top of them!

"Goodness!" exclaimed Tess, with some exasperation. "Where is your old cave?"

"Come on," said Rowdy, patiently. "It's here somewhere. But the old snow--Ye-e--yi, yi!" he suddenly yelled.

Faintly there came an answering voice--half smothered, wholly eerie sounding.

"Oh! Who's that?" demanded Sammy.

"Him," said Rowdy shortly.

"Then don't you live alone?" Tess demanded.

"I have my brother with me," said Rowdy, plunging on to the right.

The snow beat into their faces and eyes, almost blinding them and wholly stopping their chatter. Above their heads the huge trees rocked, limbs writhing as though they were alive and in pain. And from these writhing limbs the snow was shaken down in avalanches.

One great blob of snow fell square on Sammy, trudging on behind the procession, and he went down with a howl like a wolf, buried to his ears.

"Oh, Sammy! Sammy!" shrieked Tess, above the wind. "Are you hurt?"

"I--I'm smothered!" groaned the boy, struggling to get out of the heap of snow. "Hey, you Rowdy! Get us out of this, or we'll be buried and lost."

"Come on!" sang out the bigger boy from up ahead. "O-ee! Rafe!" he shouted.

A figure appeared before them--the figure of a boy not much bigger than Rowdy.

"What have you there?" a hoa.r.s.e voice demanded.

"A rabbit."

"I mean who are those behind you?" and the hoa.r.s.e voice was very tart now.

"A couple of girls and a boy," said Rowdy. "I picked 'em up back there by the trap."

"Well! But we don't keep a hotel," said the second boy.

"Hush!" commanded Rowdy. "Where are your manners? And they come from the Lodge," he added.

"How are we going to feed so many people?" was the rather selfish demand of the second boy from the cave.

"Mercy! you're a regular pig, Rafe," exclaimed Rowdy. "Go on. Take this rabbit. I'll help the little girl. She's almost done for."

Dot Kenway really was breathless and almost exhausted. She was glad to be taken in the strong arms of Rowdy. He staggered along behind the one called Rafe, and so came to an opening behind a bowlder which seemed to have been rolled by nature against the hillside.

The hole was sheltered from the direct effect of the wind that was drifting the snow in a huge mound against the bowlder. Rafe, with the rabbit, dived first into the hole. Rowdy followed, with Dot in his arms.

"Oh! Oh!" cried the littlest girl with delight. "Here's a fire."

"Isn't that splendid?" demanded Tess, who came next and saw the blaze at the back of the cave, between two stones. "Why! what a nice cave you've got here."

The fire lit up the cave, for it was only about a dozen feet square.

Only, it was not really square, being of a circular shape at the back.

The smoke from the fire rose straight up and disappeared through a hole in the low roof through which there must have been considerable draught.

Of course, there was a strong smell of wood smoke in the cave; but not enough smoke to make one's eyes smart. There were some old blankets and rugs on the floor for carpet. Against one side wall was a great heap of balsam boughs, over which were flung robes.

When Sammy came staggering in with the sled he fairly shouted his approval of the cave.

"Je-ru-sa-_lem_! what a jim-dandy place. Say! I bet Neale O'Neil would like to see this."

"Well, you needn't be bringing anybody here and showing it. This is our own particular hideout--Rowdy's and mine. So now," observed Rafe, who seemed to be less friendly than his brother.

"Oh, hush," pleaded the latter. "Do be hospitable, Rafe. Don't you know these kids are our guests?"

"'Guests!'" snorted the other.

"Yes, they are."

"Oh, please don't quarrel about us," urged Tess Kenway gently. "We'll go right away as soon as it stops snowing, and we'll never tell anybody about this cave if you don't want us to."

"Don't mind him," said Rowdy. "He's got a cold and a grouch. Come on, Rafe; help me pluck this rabbit."

"Oh, I'll do that!" cried the red-faced Sammy. "Let me!"

While the little girls were glad to sit before the fire on the blankets, he wished to make himself useful. Besides, to help skin a real rabbit was a height of delight to which Sammy Pinkney had never before risen.

"All right," said Rowdy. "You get the potatoes and onions ready, Rafe.

We have salt and pepper and we can have a nice rabbit stew."

"Just fry it," recommended the other cave dweller. "That's less trouble."

"You do as I say!" exclaimed Rowdy, sternly. "There are five of us instead of two to eat, and we've got to make this rabbit go a long way."

"Well, who brought them in? I didn't," said Rafe, angrily. "You knew we didn't have any too much to eat."

"You are a nice one!" began Rowdy, when Tess broke in with:

"I'm awful sorry we came if we are going to make trouble. We can go back under that tree--can't we, Sammy?"

"I'm not going back there," Dot said stubbornly. "There's no fire there. If this other boy doesn't like us because we are girls, can't he go out and live under the tree himself?"