undelays forgot.

Once the winter had taken a backward step--spring found it easy to turn
retreat into panic and rout; and the ten days Quonab stayed away were
days of revolutionary change. For in them semi-winter gave place to
smiling spring, with all the snow-drifts gone, except perhaps in the
shadiest hollows of the woods.

It was a bright morning, and a happy one for Rolf, when he heard the
Indian's short "Ho," outside, and a minute later had Skookum dancing and
leaping about him. On Hoag the effect was quite different. He was well
enough to be up, to hobble about painfully on a stick; to be exceedingly
fault-finding, and to eat three hearty meals a day; but the moment the
Indian appeared, he withdrew into himself, and became silent and uneasy.
Before an hour passed, he again presented the furs, the gun, the canoe,
and the traps to Rolf, on condition that he should get him out to his
folks.

All three were glad to set out that very day on the outward trip to
Lyons Falls.

Down Little Moose River to Little Moose Lake and on to South Branch of
Moose, then by the Main Moose, was their way. The streams were flush;
there was plenty of water, and this fortunately reduced the number of
carries; for Hoag could not walk and would not hobble. They sweat and
laboured to carry him over every portage; but they covered the fifty
miles in three days, and on the evening of the third, arrived at the
little backwoods village of Lyons Falls.

The change that took place in Hoag now was marked and unpleasant. He
gave a number of orders, where, the day before, he would have made
whining petitions. He told them to "land easy, and don't bump my canoe."
He hailed the loungers about the mill with an effusiveness that they did
not respond to. Their cool, "Hello, Jack, are you back?" was little but
a passing recognition. One of them was persuaded to take Rolf's place in
carrying Hoag to his cabin. Yes, his folks were there, but they did not
seem overjoyed at his arrival. He whispered to the boy, who sullenly
went out to the river and returned with the rifle, Rolf's rifle now, the
latter supposed, and would have taken the bundle of furs had not Skookum
sprung on the robber and driven him away from the canoe.

And now Hoag showed his true character. "Them's my furs and my canoe,"
he said to one of the mill hands, and turning to the two who had saved
him, he said: "An' you two dirty, cutthroat, redskin thieves, you can
get out of town as f