r the care of somebody
who could protect him. If there were any ghosts to visit that camp, they
would have to strike Elam first.

The first thing he became aware of when he got his eyes fairly opened
was that he was so full of aches and pains that he could scarcely move,
and the next, that he did not recognize a thing about the establishment.
Gradually he raised himself on his elbow, and then Elam Storm came into
his mind. He could not remember much of what he had said to Elam during
their first meeting,--he must have been about half crazy, he thought,
when he talked to him,--but he had said enough to bring him a good bed
and a sound sleep besides. He found that his feet had been interfered
with--that they felt easier than they did before; and on removing the
blanket that had been thrown over them he discovered that his tattered
shoes and stockings had been removed; that they had been wiped dry and
moved closer to the fire, which had evidently been going at a great rate
before it died down to its present bed of ashes. There was plenty of
wood right there, and with much extra exertion Tom managed to crawl to
it, and by the persistent blowing of a coal into flame he succeeded in
starting a fair blaze. Then he contrived to get up. There was a big hunk
of johnny cake on the table, a slice of bacon with a knife handy to cut
it, and a bag which proved to contain coffee. A further examination
showed him that Elam had not gone about his business without leaving a
letter behind him to tell where he was. The first was a chunk of bark on
which was rudely traced a picture of a man gathering traps. He knew that
he was taking the game in, for there was a representation of game in the
trap. A second piece of bark lay under the first, and Tom could not for
a long time make sense of what it contained. It was blurred, and was
intended to represent a man going into camp. In other words, if Elam did
not get home by daylight, Tom need not worry about it. The pictures were
rudely traced in charcoal, but the drawing was perfect.

"If I had not been tolerably well posted in backwoods lore, I could not
have made head or tail out of these pictures," said Tom; and as he spoke
he thought over all the lessons he had learned from the Indians and
darkies in the swamp. "Elam is going out to gather his traps, and if he
does not come home before to-morrow, I need not bother my head about it.
What is he going to gather up his traps for? I shall have to w