. "To tell you the truth I'm a little afraid
that heel of mine hasn't just given up the fight yet, and a very long
tramp just now might make it hurt again like sixty."

"No, that wouldn't be fair," urged Toby, doggedly. "You've got to take
your chance at it. If I do go I want to feel that I'm not cheating you
out of your opportunity. I like to have a clean conscience. Here, Jack,
you hold the straws. The one who gets the shorter stays behind; that's
understood. And Steve shall draw first, because I picked the straws."

Evidently, there could hardly be a more conscientious boy that Toby
Hopkins, for he was always looking out for the rights of the other
fellow. That was the main reason why Jack Winters had chosen him for one
of his closest chums. He knew he could depend on Toby to do the right
thing every time.

Well, Steve had the nerve deliberately to draw the short straw. He
grinned when he discovered what luck he had had, as though not so very
much displeased after all.

"That settles it right, Toby," he went on to say, pleasantly. "'Course
it'll seem like an everlastingly long time while I'm loafing here, but
my heel is going to have a fair chance to get well. Then I've got that
bully book, which I can enjoy if the weather gets real warm, so I won't
shiver at descriptions of the terrible times they had when nearly
freezing to death in the ice packs. Oh! don't look like you pitied me;
I'm just as well satisfied it worked out that way."

They did a good many things that afternoon. Jack got his camera in order
for further work, because, of course, he meant to carry it along with
him.

"Will you want to take the gun, too?" asked Steve, with a touch of
solicitude in his manner; for he rather counted on having the firearm
with him in camp, as a sort of protection that would serve to ease his
mind; because it would be a pretty lonely night of it.

"No, we'll leave that for you, Steve," said Jack, immediately, as though
all that had been settled in his mind.

"How about your meals?" Steve now asked. "If you expect to be gone over
night, it'll mean that three or four times you'll want to break your
fast. What sort of grub do you mean to carry along with you that doesn't
need cooking; for I take it you'll hardly expect to make a fire, for
fear of being discovered?"

"You're right about the fire part of it, Steve," Jack informed him; "as
for our food, I've arranged all that. You see, we fetched along a number
of thin