ng and whining complaint, removed the bandage and
replaced it with a clean one.

"Pretty bad gash," opined Connie. "How did it happen?"

"Cuttin' firewood--holdin' the stick with my foot an' the ax struck a
knot."

"You've got to learn a lot, haven't you?"

"What d'you mean--learn? How you goin' to cut firewood without you hold
it with yer foot?"

"Nex' tam dat better you hol' de chunk wit' you neck," advised 'Merican
Joe.

"Is that so! Well, believe me, I ain't takin' no advise offen no Siwash,
nor no kid, neither!"

Connie pulled his cap down over his ears and drew on his mackinaw and
mittens. "We're wasting time here, the days are short and if we're going
to find your partner we've got to get at it. How long is your trap
line, and where does it run?"

"We got about twenty-five martin traps out. They're acrost the river up
the first crick--strung along about three or four mile."

"Twenty-fi' trap! Three or four mile!" exclaimed 'Merican Joe. "How long
you be'n here?"

"Just a month. What's the matter with that? We've got eight martin an' a
wolverine an' a link!"

The Indian gave a snort of contempt. "Me--if I ain' set mor' trap as dat
every day I ain' t'ink I done nuttin'." He followed Connie to the door.

"You might's well move yer junk in here if you got your own grub. You
kin keep the fire goin' nights in case Tom don't show up, an' besides I
ain't had no one to talk to fer goin' on two months except Tom, an' we
don't git on none too good."

"Thanks," said Connie. "But we'll put up the tent when we come
back--we're a little particular, ourselves."

"They ain't no use of both of you goin' out to hunt him. One of you stay
here and tend the fire, an' cook supper in case the other one don't git
back in time."

Connie glared at the man for a moment, and burst out laughing. "If you
had a little more nerve and a whole lot less _brass_, there might be
some hope for you yet," he opined. "Did your partner have any dogs with
him?"

"Naw, we had six when we come in, but they was worked down skin pore
when we got here, an' some of 'em died, an' the rest run off. They
wasn't no good, nohow."

Connie banged the door in disgust and, taking Leloo with them, the two
struck across the river. They found the creek without difficulty and had
proceeded scarcely a mile when Leloo halted in his tracks and began
sniffing the air. This time the hair of his neck and spine did not
bristle, and the two watched him as he