hing. It came on to rain; he raised a huge umbrella and
crouched under it till the storm was over. But the third day he began to
show signs of new life, and before they reached the Schroon's mouth, on
the fifth day, his young frame was already responding to the elixir of
the hills.

It was very clear that they could not take half of the stuff that they
had cached at the Schroon's mouth, so that a new adjustment was needed
and still a cache to await another trip.

That night as they sat by their sixth camp fire, Van Cortlandt pondered
over the recent days, and they seemed many since he had left home.
He felt much older and stronger. He felt not only less strange, but
positively intimate with the life, the river, the canoe, and his
comrades; and, pleased with his winnings, he laid his hand on Skookum,
slumbering near, only to arouse in response a savage growl, as that
important animal arose and moved to the other side of the fire. Never
did small dog give tall man a more deliberate snub. "You can't do that
with Skookum; you must wait till he's ready," said Rolf.

The journey up the Hudson with its "mean" waters and its "carries" was
much as before. Then they came to the eagle's nest and the easy waters
of Jesup's River, and without important incident they landed at the
cabin. The feeling of "home again" spread over the camp and every one
was gay.

Chapter 59. Van Cortlandt's Drugs

"AIN'T ye feelin' all right?" said Rolf, one bright, calomel morning, as
he saw Van Cortlandt preparing his daily physic.

"Why, yes; I'm feeling fine; I'm better every day," was the jovial
reply.

"Course I don't know, but my mother used to say: 'Med'cine's the stuff
makes a sick man well, an' a well man sick."'

"My mother and your mother would have fought at sight, as you may judge.
B-u-t," he added with reflective slowness, and a merry twinkle in his
eye, "if things were to be judged by their product, I am afraid your
mother would win easily," and he laid his long, thin, scrawny hand
beside the broad, strong hand of the growing youth.

"Old Sylvanne wasn't far astray when he said: 'There aren't any sick,
'cept them as thinks they are,"' said Rolf. "I suppose I ought to begin
to taper off," was the reply. But the tapering was very sudden. Before a
week went by, it seemed desirable to go back for the stuff left in cache
on the Schroon, where, of course, it was subject to several risks. There
seemed no object in taking Van Cortl