here. He told us to come down an' dump the thing. We come
down, of course it's been dumped. You can fix that with him. But you're
a good little fighter, my man. He didn't tell the truth about you."

The young man groaned. The ethics of the woods were growing more opaque
to his understanding.

"I'll introduce myself more formal," said the woodsman, apparently with
affable intent to be better acquainted with this young man who had shown
that he possessed the qualities admired in the forest. "My name is Dan
Connick, and these here are my hearties from Number 7 cuttin'." He waved
his hand, and the nearest men growled good-humored greetings.

"Well, Mr. Connick," said Parker, dryly, "I thank you for the evening's
entertainment, and now that you have done your duty to Colonel Ward I
suppose I may return to Sunkhaze." His heart sank as he thought of the
poor Swogon weltering in the depths of the lake.

"Oh, ye've got to come along with us!" beamed Connick. "Colonel Ward has
sent for ye!"

CHAPTER NINE--UP THE WINDING WAY TO THE "OGRE OF THE BIG WOODS."

"I have no further business with Colonel Ward at this time," protested
Parker, amazed at Connick's refusal to release him. "Wal, he says you
have, an' them's our orders. The men that work for Gid Ward have to obey
orders."

"Your Colonel Ward has already injured me enough," exclaimed Parker,
bitterly, "without dragging me away into the woods fifty or a hundred
miles from my duty! I'll not see any more of him."

"Oh, but ye will, tho!" Connick was grinning, but under his amiability
his tones were decisive. "I don't know what he wants to talk with you
about, but I reckon it's railroad. We here can't do that with ye. So
ye'll have to come along. But we all think you're a smart little man.
Ain't that so, hearties?"

The men growled gruff assent.

"Ye see, ye're pop'lar with us," Connick went on. "Ye can be as friendly
with us as tho we was your brothers, but ye don't want to try any
shenanigan trick like dodgin' away. We've been told to take you to
Number 7 camp, and to that camp ye're goin'. So understandin' that we'll
move. There's a snack waitin' here for us at the carry camp, and then
for the uptrail." The men moved along, taking Parker with them in the
center of the group.

"How far is it to Number 7?" the young man inquired, despondently.

"They call it fifty miles from the other end of the carry. Ye needn't
walk a step if ye don't want to. There's a moose