g sheep. Henry bit where he could, but his greatest execution was
done with his powerful paws.

The Overland Riders, though angry, weary and perspiring, unable to
resist the humor of the ludicrous sight, broke into shouts of laughter.

"Henry has them on the run. Sail in!" bellowed Hippy. "Run, you
ruffians, before I turn the rest of our menagerie on you!"

The lumberjacks were now giving ground rapidly, though Peg, wounded
and, judging from his expression, suffering, was not further punished.
When he saw his men running away, the foreman of Section Forty-three
hopped off as best he could, shouting angry threats. The victorious
Overlanders with the assistance of Henry chased the lumber outfit to the
river, into which the jacks plunged and waded across with all speed.

"Don't you ever show your face in our camp again! Next time, if you do,
it will be bullets, not clubs," Lieutenant Wingate shouted after the
retreating attackers.

Henry was restrained from following the lumbermen across the river only
by heroic measures. The forest woman headed him off and clubbed him back
towards the camp, her clothing torn, her hair down her back, her face
red and angry.

"Splendid!" cried Grace Harlowe, running to meet her. "You are
wonderful."

"I say, Joseph, if that's your name, may I address you as 'Old Dear'
without imperilling my life?" teased Hippy.

"Ye kin call me anything ye like. After the talk of them varmints
anything would sound as sweet as the harps of Heving in a thunder
storm."

"All right--Old Dear," answered Hippy solemnly. "I was going to tell you
that you are the apple of my eye, but, being a peach, you can't very
well be an apple, so we will let it go at 'Old Dear.'"

Joe glared through her spectacles. The sharp lines of the rugged face of
the forest woman gradually melted into a smile, the first smile that any
member of that party had ever seen there.

"Go on with ye!" she retorted laughing despite her attempt to be stern.
"I ought to sick the bear on ye, but I ain't goin' to."

CHAPTER XIII

A BLAZED WARNING

"Well, we gave them a run, didn't we?" crowed Hippy.

"I reckon ye'd better pack and git out of here right lively," advised
the guide.

Tom Gray agreed that Peg Tatem would miss no opportunity to take revenge
on the Overland Riders for what they had done to him, and it was decided
to break camp and move at once, the forest woman being confident that
she could keep in the right d