ton would reach the highway, they plunged
into the forest. Faster than he had ever raced to a forest fire, the
forester sped along the trail, his companions striving doggedly to keep up
with him. He was deep in the woods before he met Charley and the ranger.

With hand extended, the forester ran to his ranger. Their hands met in a
tight clasp. "How is it, Jim?" asked the forester, with anxious eyes.

"I'm all right," rejoined the ranger. "I'll pull out of this all O.K. That
snake got me right, though. If it hadn't been for Charley here, I don't
know how I would have made out. He's as good as a doctor."

By this time the doctor himself had come up, puffing too hard for words.
He nodded his head, clasped the ranger's hand, and with a single word of
greeting quickly began an examination of the injured arm. "How long ago
did this happen?" he puffed.

"More than two hours ago," said the ranger.

"You haven't kept these tight all that time, have you?" and the doctor
laid his finger on one of the cords around the ranger's arm.

"No, sir. Charley had me loosen them, one at a time, every twenty minutes
or so."

"That was quite right. What else have you done?"

When the ranger had told him in detail exactly how Charley had treated
him, the doctor grunted, "Confound it! Then what did you hustle me out
here this way for? I thought you were at the point of death."

Charley was amazed and offended at what he considered the heartlessness of
the physician. "You don't understand," he protested. "Mr. Morton was badly
bitten, sir."

Charley was still more astonished when both the ranger and the forester
burst out laughing. He looked from one to the other questioningly. It did
not occur to him that this was merely the doctor's way of saying that
Charley had handled the situation about as well as he could have done it
himself. Evidently the forester did not propose to enlighten Charley, for
all he said was, "Don't let him worry you, Charley. He's just naturally
lazy and a grouch. He doesn't like it because I made him hustle for once,
and he's disappointed not to find Jim at the point of death. These doctors
are strange animals, Charley. But with all their faults we love them
still." And he slapped the physician affectionately on the shoulder.

Charley looked puzzled. But concluding that silence was the best course,
he said no more. All this time the doctor was continuing his labors, and
Charley was amazed at the dexterous way he