"They can't get back for an hour yet," Westy said; "don't let's get too
close to the new outlet. It may be running pretty strong, even yet."

I said, "I don't care a lot what happens to me now."

"Well, _I_ do," Westy said.

"I know I haven't seen much of you in the last couple of days," I told
him; "but I don't want you to think it's because I don't care any more.
It was mostly because I was trying to help Skinny. Anyway, it's all
over now. How did the fellows treat him to-day? If they'd known it was
his last day, they'd have treated him decent, I bet."

"I didn't see him," Westy said; "I was hunting for you most all the
afternoon."

"I'm going to stick by you closer after this," I said. "It was only
because Bert Winton was, sort of--you know--"

"I know," Westy said, "everybody fell for him. I'm not blaming you."

"But anyway, I'm glad I've got you now," I told him; "we were always
good friends, that's one sure thing. I'd feel mighty lonesome if I
didn't have you."

"I never got jealous," Westy said; "I always knew how it was with us. I
just went stalking with the Ravens--it was so kind of slow."

"It won't be that way any more," I told him; and I just almost had to
gulp--gee, I don't know why. "Only a couple of nights ago I was
flopping around like this with Bert Winton and now he's gone--he was a
hero, that's sure--and you and I are together again."

"We heard you while we were at camp-fire," Westy said.

"Did you mind?" I asked.

"No, I didn't mind," he said.

"It's funny how two fellows get to be chums," I said.

Westy didn't say anything, only just rowed around. After a while he
said, "He knew how to feather, that fellow did. I guess his troop will
go home now, hey?"

"Maybe he turned and went back through the passage and they'll find him
all safe in the pit," Westy said.

"Nope," I told him; "the lake's different--everything is changed.
Skinny won the cross and he's dead. And Bert is dead. It doesn't make
any difference what the camp thinks about Skinny now, because he won't
know it. And even if they're sore still, Bert won't know it. They won't
be back. Everything is changed."

"You just said you and I are not changed," Westy said.

Then we just rowed around and neither one of us said anything. It was
awful dark and still.

"How do you suppose Skinny happened to get there?" I asked Westy.

"The flood carried him through," he said.

"But how did he happen to be in the cove? It could