at all. Every rod or two he stumbled, and all but fell
himself. Here and there a loaded hemlock bough, weighed out of its
uprightness by the wet snow, snapped in his face and blinded him with
its damp burden; and he knew long before nightfall that another night in
the woods was inevitable. He could feed the horse on young twigs of
beech and birch; fresh moss, and new-peeled bark (fodder the animal
would have resented with scorn under any other conditions); but hunger
has no law concerning food. Scott himself was famished; but his pipe and
tobacco were a refuge whose value he knew before, and his charge was
tired enough to be quiet this second night; so the man had an
undisturbed sleep by his comfortable fire. It was full noon of the next
day when he reached his cabin. Jean Poiton had tied his boat to its
stake, and gone on without stopping to speak to Sarah; so her surprise
was wonderful when she saw Scott emerge from the forest, leading a gray
creature, with drooping head and shambling gait, tired and dispirited.

"Heaven's to Betsey, Scott Peck! What hev you got theer?"

"The devil!" growled Scott.

Sary screamed.

"Do hold your jaw, gal, an' git me su'thin' hot to eat 'n drink. I'm
savager'n an Injin. Come, git along." And, tying his horse to a stump,
the hungry man followed Sarah into the house and helped himself out of
a keg in the corner to a long, reviving draught.

"Du tell!" said Sarah, when the pork began to frizzle in the pan. "What
upon airth did you buy a hoss for?" (She had discovered it was a horse.)

"Buy it! I guess not. I ain't no such blamed fool as that comes to. That
feller you nussed up here a spell back, he up an' sent it roun' to
Bartlett's, for a present to me."

"Well! Did he think you was a-goin' to set up canawl long o' Racket?"

"I expect he calc'lated I'd go racin'," dryly answered Scott.

"But what be ye a-goin' to feed him with?" said Sary, laying venison
steaks into the pan.

"Lord knows! I don't. Shut up, Sary! I'm tuckered out with the beast.
I'd ruther still-hunt three weeks on eend than fetch him in from
Sar'nac, now I tell ye. Ain't them did enough? I could eat a raw bear."

Sary laughed and asked no more questions till the ravenous man had
satisfied himself with the savory food; but, if she had asked them,
Scott would have had no answer, for his mind was perplexed to the last
degree. He fed the beast for a while on potatoes; but that was taking
the bread out of his own