ere too much for her resolution, and her head began to
droop, and presently her body sank gently down, and, as she pillowed her
head on her arm, she fell into a deep sleep.

How long she slept she did not know, but when she awoke it was light.

The fire had burned low, and she felt cold and numb.

Staggering to her feet, she looked around. The camp was deserted.

The men were gone, and so were the horses. Beside the fire was a
considerable pile of wood, and Stella hastily pulled the embers of the
fire together and threw several sticks upon it. As the fire blazed up
and she grew warmer, she tried to review the situation.

Why had the men who had captured and brought her thus far deserted her?
Had they been frightened away by the proximity of the boys? No, it could
not have been that, for the boys were far away.

Then a thought of horror flashed across her mind. She had been brought
here to perish in the wilderness. Probably Silver Face and his men,
desiring to wreak vengeance upon Ted, and feeling that keeping her a
prisoner would be too much of a burden, had brought her into this
dangerous place to leave her a prey to the wild animals that she knew
infested the forests.

If they had only left her Magpie, she might have stood some chance of
escaping.

But her fortitude soon returned to her. She was not dead yet, and, while
she had a fighting chance, she would not despair.

Something of pity must have moved the men, for she found that they had
left her revolver and her rifle beside her in the lean-to, and that in a
pile not far from the fire was food enough to last her for several
meals.

She set about cooking some breakfast, and caught herself singing as she
did so.

After she had eaten she sat down in her shelter to think a way out of
her predicament.

She was in the midst of a reverie when she was brought to her feet by
that most dreaded of sounds--the howl of the timber wolf.

For a moment she stood trembling, trying to think what her best course
would be.

The wolves had smelled the frying bacon from afar, and had been
attracted to it, for the scent had carried far in the clear air.

From another direction came another wolf cry, and presently they seemed
to come from every direction.

They were far away as yet, but the wolves were gathering.

Without trying to reason further, Stella gathered up what food she could
carry, and, grasping her rifle, struck out into the forest in the
direction away f