on
his left in returning.

In this fashion the scout-master virtually blazed a path as he went;
for those trees gave him his points just as well as though they
represented so many gashes made with a hatchet.

"I'm fairly wild to develop this film, and see whether the bear paid
for his treat with a good picture," Paul ventured to say when they
were about half way to the camp.

"Do you know what I was thinking about just then?" asked Jack.

"Something that had to do with other fellows, I'll be bound," replied
the scout-master. "You were looking mighty serious, and I'd wager a
cookey that you just remembered there were other fellows up here to be
caught in the blizzard besides our crowd."

Jack laughed at hearing this.

"You certainly seem to be a wizard, Paul, to guess what was in my
mind," he told his chum. "But it's just as you say. Sim Jeffreys told
us the other day that they had come up with only a small amount of
food along. If they've stayed around up to now they're apt to find
themselves in a pretty bad pickle."

"That's a fact, Jack, if this storm keeps on for several days, and the
snow happens to block all the paths out of the woods. Let's hope they
gave it up, and went back home again. We haven't seen a thing of them
since then, you remember."

Jack shook his head.

"You know how pig-headed Hank Lawson always is," he told his chum.
"Once he gets started in a thing, he hates everlastingly to give up.
He came here to bother us, I feel sure, and a little thing like a
shortage of provisions wouldn't force him to call the game off."

"Then it's your opinion, is it, Jack, they're still in that hole among
the rocks Sim spoke of?"

"Chances are three to one it's that way," quickly replied Jack. "They
have guns, and could get some game that way, for they know how to
hunt. Then if it came to the worst perhaps Hank would try to sneak
around our cabin, hoping to find a chance to steal some of our
supplies."

A short time later they sighted the cabin through the now thickly
falling snow, and both boys felt very glad to be able to get under
shelter.

Tolly Tip did not return until some hours had passed. By that time the
snow carried by a furious wind that howled madly around the corners,
was sweeping past the windows of the cabin like a cloud of dust.

Everybody was glad when the old woodsman arrived. He flung several
prizes down on the floor, not having taken the time to detach the
pelts.

"'Tis a scree