d the
boy.

Oje gave a satisfied grunt at this evident appreciation of his
services, and motioned the lads to continue their sport.

Next Thede caught a gray trout somewhat smaller than the fish
landed by Sandy, and then another three-pound speckled trout was
landed.

"I guess if some of these fellows with hundred dollar fishing
outfits could see us hauling beauties out of the water like this,
they'd begin to understand what real fishing means!" Sandy
exclaimed.

It was a glorious day for fishing, although a trifle cold. The sun
shone down with a brilliance unequaled in more tropical climates,
and there was little wind to send the chill through the clothing.
After the boys had caught plenty of fish they started back toward
the cabin.

Oje walked through the wilderness with a different manner from that
with which he had accompanied the boys in the journey toward the
river. He glanced sharply about, and frequently stopped to examine
trifling marks in the snow. After a time he pointed to the track
of a rabbit which had apparently departed from the faint trail in
extreme terror, judging from the speed which had been made.

"Strange man!" he said significantly. "Find track soon!"

"Do you mean," asked Sandy, "that there's some one chasing us up?"

"Find track soon," was all the explanation the Indian would make.

"Of course!" Sandy declared. "We couldn't think of going back to
the cabin without butting into some new combination!"

In a short time the Indian discovered the footprints he was looking
for, and pointed them out to the boys. Two persons had passed that
way not long before. The tracks in the snow showed that one had
worn moccasins and the other ordinary shoes.

"I should think that fellow's feet would freeze!" Sandy observed.
"He don't seem to have any overshoes on!"

"How do you know?" asked Thede. "He may have a small foot and wear
overshoes shaped like a shoe itself."

"I wish we could follow the trail and find out where they're
going!" Sandy observed.

"I'm game for it!" declared Thede.

The two boys pointed to the foot-prints and started to follow them.

The Indian seemed pleased at the idea, and soon led the way toward
the range of hills whither the foot-prints pointed.

"The first thing we know," Thede suggested, "we'll be running into
a nest of black bears. They're thick as bees up in this country,
and they'll be hungry, too, with all this snow on the ground."

The words we