asant
company, though the silence of the wilderness was rendering Dick as
chary of speech as was Peter, and sometimes they scarcely exchanged a
dozen words in as many hours.

He never forgot Stephanie. When the first delight and excitement were
over, the thought of her troubled him daily, though as yet the charm of
wood-running held him a willing captive. Now and then came ugly little
pricks of conscience concerning his duty to his only sister, and to
those who had been such friends to him and his in the hour of need; but
no glimmer had as yet come to him of a higher duty to One far higher
even than these. And on the whole he was perfectly happy.

Yet he welcomed the opportunity that a chance meeting with a southward
bound trapper offered him of sending her a word of affection and
penitence; which, as we know, she received safely. After that he saw
and spoke with no one, Peter seeming to avoid all other wanderers in
the wilderness. "No need to run away from man," he was wont to
explain, "but no need run after 'im. What you want with 'im? Nothin'.
What he want with you? Nothin'. So all right. You come on, quick an'
quiet."

Sometimes they came upon the cold ashes of a hunter's fire, now and
then upon a deserted Indian camping-place. But the stars and the clear
skies and the calling winds, the trees and the bushes and the unseen
stealthy life within their shadows, held undisturbed possession of all
things.

This same stealthy life was not always unseen. Sometimes Dick and
Peter would come upon a battle royal beneath the calm spring dawn.
Sometimes they were aware of quiet presences around their evening
fires. Sometimes they caught glimpses of great moving shapes,
indistinct in the foliage, and knew that some forest lord was watching
them. They had as yet contented themselves with whatever small game
came most readily to hand, for Dick lacked the love of slaughter, and
Peter Many-Names was apparently in a hurry, and turned aside as little
as possible.

Once that noiseless spirit of death, that was ever abroad in the
forest, touched them more nearly. They had made their camp for the
night rather earlier than usual, owing to a slight mishap that had
befallen Dick--a strained ankle, which, while not serious, made it
imperative for him to have a long night's rest They watched dusk fall
over the banks and glades all ablaze with the tall, purple wind-flower
of the north, they had seen the stars show softly,