ns; but it was
better than sitting idle all day, and so Tom went at it, throwing the
wood as fast as he cut it in under the eaves of the cabin, where it
would be protected from the weather. At last the wood that was down was
all cut, and Tom, leaning on his axe with one hand, and scratching his
head with the other, was looking around to determine what tree ought to
come down next, when he happened to glance toward the path where it
emerged from the evergreens and ran up to the door of the house, and
discovered two men standing there with their arms at a ready. If they
had tried to come up under cover of his chopping they had succeeded
admirably. They might have approached close to him, and even laid hold
upon him, and Tom never would have known it until he found himself in
their grasp.

Of all the sorry-looking specimens that Tom had ever seen since he came
West these were the beat. Elam would have been ashamed to be seen in
their company. His clothes were whole and clean, while these men had
scarcely an article between them that was not in need of repairs. Their
hats, coats, and trousers ought long ago to have gone to the ragman; and
as for their boots--they had none, wearing moccasons instead. Tom felt
that something was going to happen. He knew he was growing pale, but
leaned with both hands upon his axe and tried not to show it.

"Howdy, pard?" said one of the men, looking all around.

"How are you?" said Tom.

He would have been glad to step into the cabin and get his rifle, but he
noticed that the men stood between him and the doorway.

"Whar's your pardner?" asked the man.

"He is around here somewhere," said Tom, shouldering his axe and
starting for the door. "What do you want?"

"I want to know if you have anything to eat? We have been out looking
for some steers that have broke away, and we've got kinder out of our
reckonin'."

"Who are you working for?"

"For ole man Parsons. Our horses got away from us, too, and didn't leave
us so much as a hunk of bacon."

"I don't believe a word of your story," said Tom, who knew from the
start that the man was lying. "But come in. I reckon Elam would give you
something if he was here, though, to tell you the truth, we haven't got
much."

"So Elam is your pardner, is he?"

"You seem to know him pretty well."

"Oh, yes. Elam and I have been hunting many a time."

"He's liable to come back at any minute," returned Tom, who wished there
was some truth in wh