provisions," said Tom. "I hope you'll catch
them right there among our soldiers, and make them give up the skins.
They've got a heap of cheek to take those skins to the fort."

"The people out here have cheek enough for anything," said Elam, with a
frown. "This Aleck you speak of took some money off that dead man, and
yet I'll bet you he would go right to the fort and spend it."

Elam became all activity, and it was all Tom could do to keep pace with
him as he walked along carrying the skins to the site of the cabin. It
was a "site," sure enough, for the fire had made rapid headway, and now
there was nothing but the smouldering remains to be seen. Elam looked at
the smoking ruins and then at the numerous articles Tom had saved, and
then said:

"If I had known as much on the day I built this cabin as I do now, I
could have enjoyed myself better here than the ones who burned it. You
have saved your boots, haven't you? Well, the things that went up are
comparatively of little value. Now, if you will punch together some of
the coals and get me a big dinner, I'll be off. There's a blizzard
coming up, and as they generally come from the south-west, I would
advise you to put up a lean-to with its back that way," said Elam,
motioning with his hand.

"I would really enjoy a blizzard, but not if you are going to be out in
it," replied Tom, who, for some reason or other, could not bear that
anything should happen to Elam. "I have never seen one in my life."

For an hour or two the boys were busy, Elam in catching and saddling his
horse and doing up his blankets to be carried with him, and Tom employed
with his cooking, and all the while the former was going on with some
instructions which were destined to make things easier for Tom. He
didn't want to neglect that lean-to, he said, for in less than three
days there would be a blizzard that would make him open his eyes. If he
didn't come back in three days, all Tom would have to do would be to
take that map to Uncle Ezra Norton (anybody at the fort would show him
where he lived), and he would know what to do under the circumstances.
Having said this much, Elam wrapped what was left of his dinner in his
blankets, so as to carry it with him, shook Tom warmly by the hand (he
did not put as much vim into it as he did before), mounted his horse,
and rode down the path out of sight. When he thought a sufficient length
of time had passed, Tom wandered down to the edge of the evergreens