Why, Ethan, believe me, I can see what looks mighty like a tear
running down his cheek. Yes, there, he wiped it away, and shook his
head. That man's made up his mind to some big sacrifice, you mark my
words."

"Then it must be in connection with Mazie," added Ethan, quickly;
"because the sun rises and sets with her, in his opinion."

"I wonder now," began Phil, with lines on his forehead, as though a
sudden idea had flashed into his mind that he hardly knew how to handle.

"What are you thinking about?" inquired Ethan, who knew the signs.

"But then there's no doubt he's her father, so that could hardly be,"
Phil went on to say, as though crushing the suspicion that had arisen.

"Well, what about it, Phil?"

"Oh! I just happened to wonder if he could have stolen the child from
some one, and had now made up his mind that it was wicked, and she must
be returned. But then, how could a father be tempted to steal his own
child? I reckon that must have been a silly notion. Let's forget it."

"Like as not we'll never know," Ethan observed, a little provoked, it
seemed, on account of not being able to solve the mystery that
surrounded Mazie and her "daddy;" for Ethan above all things hated to
give a puzzle up as beyond his power.

"Wait and see," the other advised him. "As it is now, he feels under
some obligations to the lot of us, and may think we deserve to hear his
story before we get him down to civilization again."

"Some obligation?" repeated Ethan. "Well, it's my honest opinion he owes
you his life! If you hadn't found him when you did, he'd be dead right
now. And then about that job of setting the bones in his leg, you did
yourself proud there. It'd be a queer thing, and ungrateful in the
bargain, if he said good-by, and never once opened up to explain
things."

"It isn't going to bother me a bit," Phil told him.

"Now, is that a hint that I'm foolish to keep it on my mind?" asked
Ethan.

"If the shoe fits, put it on," his chum told him. "But one thing sure,
he'll never be able to walk on that leg by the time we expect to start
home."

"Which I take it means we'll either have to carry him all the way down
to the village on that stretcher, if it takes two days; or else one of
us go after a team."

"Without any road up here," Phil explained, "it would be a hard job to
get horses to the lake. And then the going would be so tough he'd suffer
terribly. So as near as I can see it looks as if we'd have to wo