s fifty, for it is a long long time now
since we left home, three summers ago."

"Well, boys, you must not reckon distance by the time you have been
absent," said the old "Now I know the distance through the woods, for I
have passed through them on the Indian trail, and by my reckoning as
the bee flies, it cannot be more than seven or eight miles--no, nor that
either."

The boys opened their eyes. "Jacob, is this possible? So near, and yet
to us the distance has been as great as though it were a hundred miles
or more."

"I tell you what, boys, that is the provoking part of it. I remember
when I was out on the St. John's, lumbering, missing my comrades, and I
was well-nigh starving, when I chanced to come back to the spot where we
parted; and I verily believe I had not been two miles distant the whole
eight days that I was moving round and round, and backward and forward,
just in a circle, because, d'ye see, I followed the sun, and that led me
astray the whole time."

"Was that when you well-nigh roasted the bear?" asked Louis, with a sly
glance at Hector.

"Well, no; that was another time; your father was out with me then."
And old Jacob, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, settled himself to
recount the adventure of the bear. Hector, who had heard Louis's edition
of the roast bear, was almost impatient at being forced to listen to old
Jacob's long-winded history, which included about a dozen other stories,
all tagged on to this, like links of a lengthened chain; and was not
sorry when the old lumberer, taking his red nightcap out of his pocket,
at last stretched himself out on a buffalo skin that he had brought up
from the canoe, and soon was soundly sleeping.

The morning was yet grey when the old man shook himself from his
slumber, which, if not deep, had been loud; and after having roused up
a good fire, which, though the latter end of July, at that dewy hour
was not unwelcome, he lighted his pipe, and began broiling a fish on
the coals for his breakfast; and was thus engaged when Hector and Louis
wakened.

"Mes enfans," said Jacob, "I have been turning over in my mind about
your sister, and have come to the resolution of going up the river
alone without any one to accompany me. I know the Indians; they are a
suspicious people, they deal much in stratagems, and they are apt to
expect treachery in others. Perhaps they have had some reason; for the
white men have not always kept good faith with them, which I