day. There's a month's salary back there for you,
Rod! Now, let's turn in. Good night--sleep tight--and be sure to wake up
early in the morning."

The boys, exhausted by the adventures of the day, were soon in profound
slumber. And though midnight came, and hour after hour passed between
then and dawn, the faithful Mukoki did not awaken them. Never for a
moment neglecting his caution the old Indian watched tirelessly over the
camp. With the first appearance of day he urged the fire into a roaring
blaze, raked out a great mass of glowing coals, and proceeded to get
breakfast. Wabi discovered him at this task when he awoke from his
slumber.

"I didn't think you would play this trick on me, Muky," he said, a flush
of embarrassment gathering in his brown face. "It's awfully good of you,
and all that, but I wish you wouldn't treat me as if I were a child any
longer, old friend!"

He placed his hand affectionately upon the kneeling Mukoki's shoulder,
and the old hunter looked up at him with a happy, satisfied grin on his
weather-beaten visage, wrinkled and of the texture of leather by nearly
fifty years of life in the wilderness. It was Mukoki who had first
carried the baby Wabi about the woods upon his shoulders; it was he who
had played with him, cared for him, and taught him in the ways of the
wild in early childhood, and it was he who had missed him most, with
little Minnetaki, when he went away to school. All the love in the grim
old redskin's heart was for the Indian youth and his sister, and to them
Mukoki was a second father, a silent, watchful guardian and comrade.
This one loving touch of Wabi's hand was ample reward for the long
night's duty, and his pleasure expressed itself in two or three low
chuckling grunts.

"Had heap bad day," he replied. "Very much tired. Me feel good--better
than sleep!" He rose to his feet and handed Wabi the long fork with
which he manipulated the meat on the spits. "You can tend to that," he
added. "I go see traps."

Rod, who had awakened and overheard these last remarks, called out from
the shack:

"Wait a minute, Mukoki. I'm going with you. If you've got a wolf, I want
to see him."

"Got one sure 'nuff," grinned the old Indian.

In a few minutes Rod came out, fully dressed and with a much healthier
color in his face than when he went to bed the preceding night. He stood
before the fire, stretched one arm then the other, gave a slight grimace
of pain, and informed his anxiou