national
beverage--black tea reeking with the smoke of the camp fire."

A laugh of relief started round, as Paul's three companions hit the table
with their heavy tin cups, but in this the young Count did not join.

"That ain't it," he blurted suddenly. "That was bad enough, but I've done
worse than that."

The colonel's face sobered and Norman's eyes turned toward the heap of
personal belongings just outside the cabin door. Paul's trembling arm
motioned toward these boxes and bags.

"I've got a case of brandy out there and I've got to tell you how I've
lied to you."

"Hardly that!" protested Colonel Howell. "You hadn't spoken to me of it."

"No, I didn't," confessed Paul, his voice trembling, "but I just heard
you say we hadn't anything like that with us and I might as well have
lied, because I had it."

"Did that sergeant of police know this?" broke in Roy. "I thought he
examined everything. He certainly said we were all right."

"Yes, he knew it," answered Paul, "but he isn't to blame. Don't think I'm
making that an excuse."

Colonel Howell sat with downcast eyes and an expression of pain on his
face.

"Why did you do it?" he asked in a low tone at last. "Did you mean to
hide it from me?"

"No, no," exclaimed his young guest. "I don't know why I did it. I don't
want it. I'm going to quit all that. That's why I came up here. You know
that, Colonel Howell--don't you believe me?"

But Colonel Howell's face now bore a different expression.

"My friend," he remarked after a few moment's thought, "I may have done
wrong to ask your father to let you come with us. I thought you knew all
the conditions. If this is a life that is not going to interest you,
you'd better go back. The Indians will be returning to-morrow or the next
day and you won't find it such a hard trip."

Paul gulped as if choking and then sprang from the table. From the
baggage outside he extracted a canvas-bound box, his own name on the
side. While his companions sat in silence he hurled it on the floor at
their feet and then, with a sweep of his knife, cut the canvas from the
package. With a single crush by his heavy boot, he loosened one of the
boards of the cover. Carefully packed within were a dozen bottles of
expensive brandy. Paul caught one of them and appeared to be about to
smash it on the edge of the table. The colonel raised his hand.

"Stop!" ordered his host. "Are you going back or do you want to stay with
us?"

"Colonel