im. Glad I fetched along my little medicine case, with bandages
and such things. Thought one of us might get into trouble, and need it.
Handy thing to have around in the woods."

"It sure is," agreed X-Ray Tyson; "but how can we carry a man all the
way to the cabin, Phil? If he's that bad hurt it's going to be a hard
job."

"Huh! see this hatchet?" demanded Ethan, flourishing the article in
question before the eyes of the other. "Well, with that sharp edge it
won't be a hard thing to tinker up some kind of stretcher. That's what
Phil had in mind when he told you to fetch some rope ends along."

"Just what I did," Phil assured them; "but hold on now, and save your
breath for running; you'll need it all. We'll get there in ten minutes
more, I think."

About that time had elapsed when Phil sighted the spot where he had left
the wounded man. He knew it from the land marks he had impressed on his
mind. And both going and coming the boy had maintained a constant watch,
so as to make sure that he continued in the direct line he had laid out.

"There he is!" he suddenly exclaimed, as he saw a hand feebly waving
from the covert of bushes.

"Oh! I'm glad you've gotten back again!" the wounded man told Phil. "It
has seemed ages since you left; but I watched the sun, and knew that the
hour had not passed that you said it might take. These are your friends,
are they?"

"Yes, Ethan Allan and Raymond Tyson. We mean to get busy, and make some
sort of a litter that will do to carry you on. Let's see, you begin and
cut some poles, Ethan."

As the boy with the camp hatchet knew just what sort to select, he was
soon busily engaged in chopping down small saplings. As these were
trimmed of branches, and cut in proper lengths the other boys began to
splice them together.

After all it was not a hard task. Although possibly none of them had
ever built such a thing as a stretcher, they knew in a general way how
it must be done in order to accommodate a wounded man. There were four
handles by means of which it could be gripped and carried. These two
main braces of course were extra strong, and made of hickory. Then the
others were shorter and not so thick, so that the body of the stretcher
might bend somewhat.

When the thing was completed the boys found some hemlock browse, with
which they made as soft a bed as possible.

"Now, if you can stand for it to let us lift you, we'll soon be on our
way," Phil went on to say to the injure