for the weight kept the boy on his feet, except on
one occasion when stepping on a flat, slippery rock, they were whipped
out from under him. Tad went in all over, with the antelope on top of
him, and there he struggled and splashed, losing his foothold almost as
fast as he gained it.

"Well, I am a muffer," gasped Tad, finally getting to his feet. "I'm
worse than Chunky. I deserve a worse wetting, but I guess that's
impossible."

The journey to the other side was made without further mishap. Then
began a hard, grilling tramp down through the pass, the ends of the pole
on which the animal was suspended continually catching on limbs and
brush, frequently throwing Butler down, tearing his clothes and
scratching his face and neck. His dogged determination carried him
through, however, but he was in the end considerably the worse for wear.
The first his companions saw of him was when Tad fell out into the open
in plain sight of the camp, flat on his face, with the carcass on top of
him. At first glance they thought it was a live animal they had seen.

"Get a gun, quick!" bellowed Stacy.

"Him white boy," answered the Indian. "Him git um."

"What, Tad?" Ned uttered a yell and started on a trot for his companion
who, by this time, was getting up slowly and with evident effort. Stacy
and Walter followed. "What have you got there? We came near letting go
at you."

"Yes, yes, we thought you were a bear," chuckled Stacy.

"It's a deer," cried Walter Perkins.

"Him antelope," nodded the Indian wisely. "White boy heap much big
hunter."

"I'm afraid I am a better hunter than I am a toter. Stacy, I fell in."

"Ye-e-e-ow!" yelled the fat boy joyously.

"Here, let us take him in," offered Ned, reaching for one end of the
carrying stick.

Butler shook his head.

"I said I was going to get him to camp alone and I shall."

"But--" protested Ned.

"Oh, let him carry the beast if he wants to. Tad likes to work," laughed
the fat boy.

"Which is a heap sight more than may be said of some persons we know
of," returned Ned.

Tad dragged the carcass into camp, casting it down a short distance from
the tents.

"Him heap big little man," reiterated the Indian.

"How much does the animal weigh?" asked the Professor.

"A good ton, I should say," replied Tad, sinking down by the fire. "I'm
all tuckered out."

"You had better get on some dry clothes."

"These will dry in a few minutes by the fire," was the philosophical