ly managed
to bind saplings together with such cord as they had in their
possession, and so manufacture a "drag" upon which the wounded boy
could be carried back to camp. The lads were strongly tempted to
help themselves to Antoine's provisions before they left, but they
finally decided not to do so, especially as they believed that they
had plenty of their own.

"He'll need them all before he gets rid of that sore wrist," Sandy
laughed. "He won't be in shape to do much hunting!"

"Now," Thede observed, after wrapping George up in one of the bear
robes taken from the wall of the cavern, "I've been thinking that
the cabin is a great deal nearer the camp. Of course I haven't
been to the camp, but I've heard the location described and I'm
positive that it is four or five miles further away from us than
the cabin."

"So you want to take George directly to the cabin, do you?" asked
Tommy, who still considered himself on guard and kept a constant
lookout for Antoine. "I don't see why we shouldn't do so," he
added.

"It isn't far out of the way," urged Thede.

"Then here we go to it!" laughed Tommy. "I'll chase on ahead and
have a roaring fire built there before you get half way to it!"

"Oh, you will?" grinned Thede. "I'd like to know how you're going
to find it! George and I are the only ones in this party who can
find the mysterious cabin in the bog!"

"Well, then," Tommy admitted, "perhaps you'd better run on ahead
and find it, while we come along with the kid!"

It was a long and painful journey to the cabin, but it was finished
at last. When the boys came to the edge of the swamp, however,
they saw a great column of smoke rising from the chimney on the
roof.

"Now do you suppose Antoine beat us to it?" asked Thede.

CHAPTER XIII

A FACE AT THE WINDOW

When the boys came nearer to the cabin, they saw many footprints
dotting the level surface of the snow. They peered through the
window which gave on the side of their approach, but could see no
one moving about on the inside. Save for the great fire blazing in
the rudely-constructed fire-place, the cabin seemed to be
absolutely deserted.

"Suppose you give me a boost through this window," Thede suggested,
as the boys at last stood close against the rear wall.

"Why not go around to the door?" George asked.

"I might get a bullet in my coco when I turned the angle of the
house!" replied Thede. "There's no knowing who's around there."