ve an _awful_ long time to travel; haven't we all our
lives before us? If our lives are long, we'll manage it; if they are
short, why, we won't want to manage it, so we need not bother our heads
about that?"

"But the way home," suggested Nelly, "do you know it?"

"Of course I know it; that is to say, I know, from that ugly thief Hawk,
that it lies somewhere or other to the south-west o' this place, some
hundreds of miles off; how many hundreds does not much matter, for we
have got the whole of the spring, summer, and fall before us."

"But what if we don't get home in the fall?"

"Then we shall spend the winter in the woods, that's all."

Nelly laughed, in spite of her anxieties, at the confident tone in which
her brother spoke; and, being quite unable to argue the matter farther,
she said that she was ready to do whatever Roy pleased, having perfect
confidence in his wisdom.

"That's right, Nell; now, you get ready to start at a moment's notice.
When the Injuns attack the camp, we'll give 'em the slip. Put all you
want to take with you on a toboggan, [see note 1] and meet me at the
crooked tree when the camp moves."

That night the camp was struck, and the women and children departed,
under a strong escort. Almost at the same time the enemy came down on
their prey, but they met men prepared for them. In the dark, Nelly
crept to the crooked tree, dragging the toboggan after her. She was met
by Roy, who took the sledge-line and her hand and led her into the dark
forest, while the savages were fighting and yelling like fiends in the
camp. There let us leave them to fight it out. Enough for us to know
that their warfare prevented any pursuit of the young fugitives.

Weeks passed, and Roy and Nelly wandered on; all fear of pursuit soon
left them. Ducks, geese, and other waterfowl, came in myriads with the
spring. Roy had brought with him his gun (the one he was wont to use in
hunting), and bow and quiver. They fed on the fat of the land. Summer
advanced, and game became less plentiful; still, there was more than
sufficient to supply them with abundance of food. Autumn approached;
the wild fowl that had passed northward in spring, began to return
southward, and again the wants of the young wanderers were
superabundantly supplied.

The pole-star was Roy's guide. At night he laid his course by it; and
by the sun during the day, making constant allowance, of course, for the
sun's rate of travelling throu