"Lem, do you know what kind of a rifle Indian Jake carried?"

"I'm not knowin' rightly," said Lem. "'Twere either a forty-four or a
thirty-eight. 'Twere he did the shootin'. Nobody else has been comin'
about here the whole summer. I'm not doubtin' he's got my silver fox,
and I'm goin' to get un back _whatever_. He'd never stop at shootin'
to rob, but he'll have to be quicker'n I be at shootin', to keep the
fur!"

"When are you expecting Mrs. Horn and the boys back?" asked Doctor
Joe.

"This evenin' or to-morrow whatever," said Lem. "They've been away
these five days gettin' the winter outfit at Fort Pelican."

If Indian Jake were guilty, it was highly probable that he would take
prompt steps to flee the country. He could not dispose of the silver
fox skin in the Bay, for all the local traders had already seen and
appraised it, and they would undoubtedly recognize it if it were
offered them. Indian Jake would probably plunge into the interior,
spend the winter hunting, and in the spring make his way to the St.
Lawrence, where he would be safe from detection.

Doctor Joe made these calculations while he sat by the bedside, and
his patient dozed. He was sorry now that he had not sent the boys back
to The Jug with a letter to Thomas explaining what had occurred. All
the evidence pointed to Indian Jake's guilt, and there could be little
doubt of it if it should prove that the half-breed carried a
thirty-eight fifty-five rifle. Thomas would know, and he would take
prompt action to prevent Indian Jake's escape with the silver fox
skin. Should it prove, however, that Indian Jake's rifle was of
different calibre, he should be freed from suspicion.

It was dusk that evening when the boat bearing Eli and Mark and Mrs.
Horn rounded the island. Doctor Joe met them. They had seen the boys
and had received from them a detailed account of what had happened,
and Mrs. Horn was greatly excited. Her first thought was for Lem, and
she was vastly relieved when she saw him, as he declared he did not
feel "so bad," and Doctor Joe assured her he would soon be around
again and as well as ever.

Then there fell upon the family a full realization of their loss. The
silver fox skin that had been stolen was their whole fortune. The
proceeds of its sale was to have been their bulwark against need. It
was to have given them a degree of independence, and above all else
the little hoard that its sale would have brought them was to have
lighten