them with supper. A protest rose to her lips,
but she checked it, feeling that she had perhaps said too much already.
Certainly if any one in the world ought to have faith in the skill and
devotion of the Mohawk scout, she was that one, and she resolved at the
instant she drove back the complaining words that they should remain
unsaid, not for then only, but for all time.

"Well, yes, Jo; I _am_ hungry, and if you have anything in the way of
supper, I am sure it will be welcomed by all."

"How is it, Ned? Do you feel any hankering for eatables?"

"I do."

"Well, you shall have that yearning satisfied; when Jack and I went off,
it was in search of food, for we need it, every one of us. Rosa seems to
think we are loitering away our time, but Jack knows what he is doing.
It is an easy matter to get across the river, but when on the other side
our real trouble will begin. Colonel Butler expects us to cross the
stream, and he won't make much effort to prevent us, but what he means
to do is to keep us from reaching Wilkesbarre, and we aren't going to
get there in a hurry, either. Well, don't you see that we are likely to
be in the woods a good while, and we may have to take a long circuitous
route to get out? I shouldn't be surprised if we were two or three days
longer on the way, for when Jack undertakes a job of this sort, he does
it thoroughly, and he isn't the one to spoil it by hurry, no matter what
his companions want him to do. All this being so, it isn't necessary to
tell you that we must have our meals as regular as we can get them. If
we eat a good supper now, we shall be able to pass to-morrow without any
food, but it will go hard without anything in that line."

"If you will bring out your supper, Jo, and stop your chatter, I will
agree to do the same, but I shan't believe you have anything in the way
of food till I see it."

The brother kept up a stream of talk, in the way of badinage, asking his
friends to name whatever article of diet they wished, as he could
furnish one almost as well as another. Finally, when the thing had
continued long enough, he produced the supper, and it was a surprise to
Ned and Rosa indeed. While Lena-Wingo was engaged in stirring and
throwing more wood on the fire, Jo removed some fresh green leaves from
a package that had been lying unnoticed near at hand, and within was
found a large piece of roast pig! Furthermore, it was young, tender,
well cooked, juicy and clean.

The ap