on crowd was
of any benefit to the community," Jack commented; "but accidents will
happen, you know. They didn't mean to do a good turn, only have what
they call fun."

"So the shorter rascal didn't have any fight in him, it seems, Tolly
Tip?" Bobolink observed, as though the subject interested him
considerably.

"Oh! as for that," replied the trapper, "mebbe he do be afther
thinkin' discretion was the better part av valor. Ye say, he had one
av his hands wrapped up in a rag, and I suspect he must have been
hurt."

"That's interesting, at any rate!" declared Bobolink. "When we saw him
he had the use of both hands. Something must have happened after that.
I wonder what."

"You're the greatest fellow to _wonder_ I ever knew," laughed Sandy
Griggs.

"Bobolink likes to grapple with mysteries," said Jud, "and from now on
he'll keep bothering his head about that tramp's injured hand, wanting
to know whether he cut himself with a broken bottle, or burned his
fingers when cooking his coffee in an old tomato can over the
campfire."

"Let Bobolink alone, boys," said Paul. "If he chooses to amuse himself
in that way what's the odds? Who knows but what he may surprise us
with a wonderful discovery some day."

"Thank you, Paul," the other remarked drily.

After that the subject was dropped. It did not offer much of interest
to the other scouts, but Paul, glancing towards Bobolink several
times, could easily see that he was pondering over something.

After all, the snow did not last long. Before they finally went to bed
they found that the moon had once more appeared through a rift in the
clouds, and not more than two inches of fresh snow had covered the
ground.

There was considerable skirmishing around done when the boys commenced
to make their final preparations for spending the first night in their
winter camp. No one would think of taking Tolly Tip's bunk when he
generously offered it, and so straws were drawn for the remaining
three, as well as the cot upon which Mr. Garrity slept when up at his
Deer Head Lodge.

The fortunate ones turned out to be Paul, Bluff, Frank and Bobolink,
though the last mentioned declared positively that he preferred
sleeping on the floor as a novelty, and insisted that Phil Towns
occupy his bunk.

They managed to make themselves comfortable after a fashion, though
the appearance of the "dormitory" excited considerable laughter, with
the boys sprawled out in every direction.

All