fell a helpless heap into the snow. Powerful hands wrenched his arms
behind his back and other hands drew a cloth about his mouth. A stout
cord was twisted around his wrists, his legs were tied, and then his
captors relieved him of their weight.

Not a word had been spoken during the brief struggle. Not a word was
spoken now as his mysterious assailants hoisted him between them and
followed in the footsteps of the woman. Scarcely a hundred paces beyond
the spruce the dark shadow of a cabin came into view. Into this he was
carried and placed on something which he took to be a box. Then a light
was struck.

For the first time Philip's astonished eyes had a view of his captors.
One of them was an old man, a giant in physique, with a long gray beard
and grayish yellow hair that fell to his shoulders. His companion was
scarcely more than a boy, yet in his supple body, as he moved about,
Philip recognized the animal-like strength of the forest breed. A word
spoken in a whisper by the boy revealed the fact that the two were
father and son. From that side of the room which was at Philip's back
they dragged forth a long pine box, and were engaged in this occupation
when the door opened and a third man entered. Never had Philip looked on
a more unprepossessing face than that of the newcomer, in whose little
black eyes there seemed to be a gloating triumph as he leered at the
prisoner. He was short, with a huge breadth of shoulders. His eyes and
mouth and nose were all but engulfed in superfluous flesh, and as he
turned from Philip to the man and boy over the box he snapped the joints
of his fingers in a startling manner.

"Howdy, howdy!" he wheezed, like one afflicted with asthma. "Good!
good!" With these four words he lapsed into the silence of the older man
and the boy.

As the box was dragged full into the light, a look of horror shot into
Philip's eyes. It was the rough-box of a coffin! Without a word, and
apparently without a signal, the three surrounded him and lifted him
bodily into it. To his surprise he found himself lying upon something
soft, as if the interior of his strange prison had been padded with
cushions. Then, with extreme caution, his arms were freed from under his
back and strapped to his side, and other straps, broad and firm, were
fastened from side to side of the box across his limbs and body, as
if there were danger of his flying up and out through the top. Another
moment and a shadow fell above him,