at he was saying. "He has just stepped out to look
at some traps. I don't see what keeps him so long, for of course you
will be glad to see him."

Tom had by this time got inside the cabin, closely followed by the two
men, who, he noticed, did not go very far from the door. One of them
hauled a stool up beside it and sat down where he could keep a close
watch on everything that went on outside, and the other kept so close to
Tom that the latter could not have used his axe if he had tried it. Tom
wanted to get his hands on his rifle, but one of the men had placed
himself directly in front of it so that his broad shoulders were between
him and the weapon. The men pushed back their hats and took a survey of
the interior of the cabin while Tom was getting down the side of bacon,
and finally one of them discovered the pile of wolf-skins which Elam had
tied up and left in the corner. With a smile and a muttered ejaculation
he walked over and examined it.

"Elam's at his ole tricks, aint he?" said he, after he had tested the
skins and tried to determine by the weight of them how many there were
in the package. "How many do you reckon he's got here? So many skins at
forty-five dollars apiece would be--how much would it be, Tender-foot?"

Tom was rather taken aback by this style of address. He had tried to
play himself off on the men as one to the manor born, but his language,
his dress, or something had given him away entirely. The man spoke to
him as if he was as well acquainted with his history as Elam was.

"I don't reckon we want anything to eat do we, Aleck?" continued the
man, lifting the bundle and carrying it back to the door with him. "If
you see anybody else coming along here that's hard up for grub----"

"Here--you!" exclaimed Tom, throwing down his axe and making an effort
to take the bundle from the man. "Put that down, if you know when you
are well off."

"If you know when you are well off, you will keep your hands to yourself
and sit down thar," said the man, and at the same time the one who had
been addressed as Aleck arose to his feet, cocking his rifle as he did
so. "Oh, you needn't call for Elam, 'cause we know where he is as well
as you do," he continued, as Tom thrust both men aside and started post
haste for the door. "Now, Tender-foot, just go and behave yourself. We
know that Elam has gone out to attend to his traps and won't be back
before night, and so we've got all the time we want. Sit down."