rt camps, as we pleased. You see, we had only four days in which
to deliver the message; and we had just reached the pass!

This was a kind of miserable night. Jed of course had a bed to himself,
which used up blankets. The others of us stood watch an hour and a half
each, over him and over the smudge. He was awful restless, because his
leg hurt like sixty, and none of us slept very well, after the
excitement. I was sleepiest when the time came for us to get up.

We had breakfast, of bear steak and bread or biscuits and gravy. The
meat we were jerking seemed to have been smoked splendidly. The tarp was
smoked, anyhow. We took it off and aired it, and left the strips as they
were, to dry some more in the sun. They were dark, and quite stiff and
hard, and by noon they were brittle as old leather. The hide was dry,
too, and ready for working over with brains and water, and for smoking.
(Note 61.)

But we left that to Kit. Now we must take the trail again. We spent the
morning fussing, and making the cabin tight for Jed and Kit; at last
the meat had been jerked so that our share would keep, and we had done
all that we could, and we were in shape to carry the message on over the
pass and down to Green Valley.

"All right," spoke Major Henry, after dinner. "Let's be off. Scout
Carson, we leave Scout Smith in your charge. You and he stay right here
until he's able to travel. Then you can follow over the pass and hit
Green Valley, or you can back-track for the Ranger's cabin and for home.
Apache will come in soon and you'll have him to pack out with. You'll be
entitled to just as much honor by bringing Jed out safe as we will by
carrying the message. Isn't that so, boys?"

"Sure," we said.

But naturally Kit hated to stay behind. Only, somebody must; it was
Scouts' duty. We all shook hands with him and with wounded Jed (who
hated staying, too), and said "Adios," and started off.

Apache had not appeared, and we were to pack our own outfit. We left Jed
and Kit enough meat and all the flour (which wasn't much) and what other
stuff we could spare (they had the bearskin to use for bedding as soon
as it was tanned) and one rope and our twenty-two rifle, and the
Ranger's fry-pan and two cups, and we divided among us what we could
carry.

"Now we've got three days and a half to get through in," announced Major
Henry. We counted the days on the trail to make sure. Yes, three days
and a half. "And besides, these Red Fox Scouts