use by hanging round the Settlement, and
keeping an eye on Nick Grylls. And I did.

"Say, he really was knocked out all right, all right. They carried
him in from the lake; and the sisters nursed him in the Convent.
Construction of the brain he had, or something like that. Seems he
got up when he first come to on the shore, walked ten miles, and then
collapsed right near Grier's Point. But they kept that low. Hooliam gave
out a great story, how a big storm came up on the lake, and how Nick
fell overboard, _et cetera, et cetera_; Garth wasn't mentioned in it
at all!

"Long before Nick was able to be around, he sent down for Mary Co-que-wasa
and Xavier; and then I knew there was more mischief brewing. Say, those
two are the toughest of the whole tough bunch. They say Xavier is Mary's
son. All this time I was getting mighty worried myself, why you didn't
come back, and I was going to look for you anyway. However, as soon as he
was up, Grylls got a big outfit together, and started over the portage
with the two breeds. He gave out that he was going up to Ostachegan
Creek--but I knew! I got a couple of cayuses on credit, and a little
grub; and followed him inside three hours.

"He beat me by a day to the Crossing, and went right through. Over there
I heard about you from the fellows; and say, I was scared for fair, when
I counted up the grub I knew you had, and then thought how long you'd
been away! I hustled and got another horse and all the grub they would
trust me for. I tried my darnedest to get some of the fellows to come
with me. They laughed at me! They said I'd been reading too many dime
novels--I never read any! You see, every one knows Nick Grylls so well,
and nothing like this ever happened before. Jim Plaskett, the policeman,
would have believed me; but he was away. I left a letter for him. I lost
a couple of good days at the Crossing over this. The most the fellows
would say was, if I didn't bring you back in a week, the bunch would
ride up here.

"I was so excited with it all, I lost myself like a bloody fool for two
days on the prairie; and I just ran on the lake, by accident, yesterday
afternoon. Say, I almost gave the whole snap away, for I came over the
hill right above Mabyn's shack. Maybe I didn't duck in a hurry! There
was the whole bunch below me! Across the corner of the lake, I could see
this house too. I know it must be yours because it was just built; and
it had a sort of tenderfoot look to it. S