use you be."

"Well, go on now, and don't bother any more," said the orderly
good-naturedly. "The old man said he didn't care how you got the things
back, and what more do you want?"

"I wanted him to set the law a-going, but he won't do it," said Elam.
"I'll just set it to going myself."

The young hunter walked off and directed his course toward the sutler's
store. He knew it was the sutler's store, for when he was loitering
about the fort he had seen the sutler come in from the stockade with a
rifle in his hands, and sell a plug of tobacco to one of the teamsters.
He found the store empty and the sutler leaning against the counter with
his arms folded. The latter recognized Elam at once, for he had seen him
come in on that wounded horse.

"Halloa," he exclaimed. "You have got your wound fixed all right. Did
you have a long race with them?"

Elam in a few words described his adventures, running his eye over the
goods the sutler had to sell, and wound up by telling of the furs he had
lost.

"I have got a good many skins," said he, "and I see some things here
that I should like to have, but I aint got them now."

"How is that? I don't understand you."

"Well, you see, I have done right smart of trapping and shooting since I
have been out, but while I was gathering up my traps some fellows came
to my shanty and stole everything I had," said Elam.

"That's bad," said the sutler; and he really thought it was, for no
doubt he had lost an opportunity to make some good bargains.

"Yes, and they are coming to this post now, those two fellows are, to
sell those furs," continued Elam earnestly.

"Ah!" exclaimed the sutler, in a very different tone of voice.

If that was the case, perhaps he could make something out of the boy's
work after all.

CHAPTER XIV.

ELAM UNDER FIRE.

"Yes, that's bad business," the sutler continued. "They steal furs and
pass them off as their own. I couldn't do that."

"But this is the fourth time they have robbed me," Elam went on. "You
have handled skins that they took from me last winter. They'll try to
sell them at this store, most likely. There aint no traders here, are
they? I aint seen any of them hanging around."

"No; they have been scarce of late," answered the sutler, who would have
been glad to know that none of the fraternity would ever show their
faces in that country again. He wanted to do all the trading that was
done at that post himself.

"Then they will