hould be made to decamp; and the fact of
Stackpole's gigantic figure made not a particle of difference in his
calculations.

Whatever the fellow may have planned to attempt during the silent
watches of the night, his nerve evidently failed him, for he did not
venture to make the least move; possibly the combination of these three
determined-looking lads awed him more than he could care to admit, or it
might be he had other schemes up his sleeve whereby the same end could
be accomplished without taking so much risk--at any rate Cuthbert sat
his watch out, and after fixing the fire again, aroused Eli, who in turn
sauntered over to the boats, carrying his patron's cherished gun, which
he as dearly loved to fondle as a girl might a kitten.

And if Stackpole saw this, as he evidently must under the shelter of
that hat brim, he knew it would be a signal for trouble with a big T if
he tried any queer business with these wideawake lads.

Cuthbert was almost positive he heard him give a disgusted grunt as he
settled back for another snooze, and they heard nothing farther from him
until morning, when he arose, yawning and stretching his huge bulk, as
though he had been dead to the world from the moment he lay down.

They treated him decently and gave him an abundance of breakfast, which
the big timber-cruiser gulped down with the eagerness of a hungry wolf;
for it had been a long day since he tasted such delicious bacon and
coffee with flap-jacks to "beat the band," as Eli said, made by Owen,
who had proved to be superior as a cook to either of his new friends,
the gift being a legacy from his mother, he confessed.

Nevertheless, there was an air of restraint about their associations
with the woodsman, which he could not but feel, and therefore he made
up his bundle soon after, saying he must be on his way, and while they
were engaged in stowing the tent he took his departure, grunting some
sort of thanks for the many favors he had received at their hands.

If what Owen told them of the fellow's nature was actually so, this
generosity on the part of the young explorer would not count for a row
of pins when occasion arose whereby the temptation came to Stackpole to
appropriate some of the expensive outfit his envious eyes had gloated
over during his stay with them.

Our friends did not hasten their departure, for they wished to let him
have a long lead; for he had left the camp going in a direction that, if
persisted in, wo