hundred times over. Oh, Phil!"

"I have suffered a little from anxiety, and been a trifle hungry, and
had some sad experiences, but I haven't suffered half so much as I
deserved for my carelessness in getting lost. I found Cree Jim, though;
but--"

"And brought him with you?" interrupted Serge, smiling for the first
time in many hours, as he glanced at the quaint little figure perched on
Phil's shoulders.

"Not exactly," replied the other, soberly. "You see this little chap is
his son, and I've adopted him for a sort of a brother, and he is going
with us."

"You've done what?" cried Serge.

"Adopted him. That is, you see I promised my aunt Ruth to bring her
something from Alaska that was unique in the way of a curio, and it
seems to me that Nel-te here will please her about as well as anything.
Don't you think so?"

"Perhaps so," assented Serge, doubtfully. "But was his father willing
that you should have him?"

"Oh yes, perfectly. That is, you know he is dead, and so is the mother;
but I promised her to take care of the little chap, and as there wasn't
anything else to be done, why, here we are."

"Of course it's all right if you say so," agreed Serge, "and I don't
care, so long as you are safe, if you carry a whole tribe back to your
aunt Ruth; but now don't you think we'd better be getting along to camp?
It was all I could do to persuade Mr. Coombs to stay behind and look out
for things; he is so anxious. The only way I could induce him to was by
suggesting that you might come in tired and hungry, and would feel
awfully if no one was there to welcome you. But he is liable to set out
on a hunt for you at any moment."

"Certainly, we must get there as quickly as possible," replied Phil.
"How far is it?"

"Not more than one mile up the river from the mouth of this creek, which
is only a few rods below here. But oh, Phil, to think that I have found
you! When I had almost given up all hope of ever again seeing you alive
too. I have been down as far as our first camp on the river this
morning, and this creek was my last hope. I wouldn't have left the
country without you, though, or at any rate without knowing what had
become of you. Neither would Mr. Coombs. We settled that last night
while we talked over what had best be done."

"I was sure you wouldn't, old fellow," replied Phil, with something like
a choke in his voice.

At the camp they were hailed by Jalap Coombs, who almost hugged Phil in
his revuls