other had taken possession of a thin, long-limbed body
which ought to belong to a girl of ten. Her pinched features and
over-wise eyes told a tale of suffering, and so did her high-pitched,
quivering voice, as it made elfishly sharp remarks about the boys until
they blenched before her.

This was the little one of whom the doctor had said "that she fretted if
he did not come to see her once in a while." And with Doc she was a
different being. Her voice softened, her eyes became childlike, and thin
tinkles of laughter broke from her as she clung to him, and received
certain presents of medicines and picture-books which he had brought
for her in a corner of his knapsack.

For two nights the travellers slept in a row on their hay bed; for two
long-remembered days the five boys roamed the country round the
clearing, starting deer, catching glimpses of a wildcat, a marten or
two, and of another coon. Then came, to use Dol's expression, "the
beastly nuisance of saying good-by."

Dr. Phil was obliged to return to Greenville; and he declared that now
he must surely start his nephews homeward, for Royal expected to
graduate from the High School during the following year, and to let him
waste more time from study would be questionable kindness. Joe Flint of
course would go back with his party. And here Cyrus paid Uncle Eb's fees
for guiding, and dismissed him too.

Only a dozen miles of tolerably easy travelling now separated Garst and
his English comrades from the camp on Millinokett Lake, where they were
to meet the redoubtable Herb Heal. The settler, knowing this tract of
country as thoroughly as he knew his own few fields, offered to lead our
trio for the first half of their onward march; and as they could follow
a plain trail for the remainder of the way, they had no further need of
their guide's services. They promised to visit Eb at his bark hut on
their return journey, to bid him a final farewell, and hear one more
stave of:--

"Ketch him, Tiger, ketch him!"

"Good-by, you lucky fellows!" said Royal Sinclair huskily, as he gripped
Neal's hand, then Dol's, in a brotherly squeeze when the hour of parting
came. "I wish I was going on with you. We've had a stunning good time
together, haven't we? And we'll run across each other in these woods
some time or other again, I know! You'll never feel satisfied to stay in
England, where there's nothing to hunt but hares and foxes, after
chasing bears and moose."

"Oh! we'l