ke, the second installment of the soup was ready
for him and he ate it hungrily. He was naturally so strong and
vigorous and had lived such a wholesome life that he recovered,
now that the crisis was past, with astonishing rapidity. But
Albert played the benevolent tyrant for a few days yet, insisting
that Dick should sleep a great number of hours out of every
twenty-four, and making him eat four times a day of the tenderest
and most succulent things. He allowed him to walk but a little
at first, and, though the walks were extended from day to day,
made him keep inside when the weather was bad.

Dick took it all, this alternate spoiling and overlordship, with
amazing mildness. He had some dim perception of the true state
of affairs, and was willing that his brother should enjoy his
triumph to the full. But in a week he was entirely well again,
thin and pale yet, but with a pulsing tide in his veins as strong
as ever. Then he and Albert took counsel with each other. All
trace of snow was gone, even far up on the highest slope, and the
valley was a wonderful symphony in green and gold, gold on the
lake and green on the new grass and the new leaves of the trees.

"It's quite settled," said Albert, "that we're to stay another
year in the valley."

"Oh, yes," said Dick, "we had already resolved on that, and my
excursion on the plains shows that we were wise in doing so. But
you know, Al, we can't do fur hunting in the spring and summer.
Furs are not in good condition now."

"No," said Albert, "but we can get ready for the fall and winter,
and I propose that we undertake right away a birchbark canoe.
The dugout is a little bit heavy and awkward, hard to control in
a high wind, and we'll really need the birch bark."

"Good enough," said Dick. "We'll do it."

With the habits of promptness and precision they had learned from
old Mother Necessity, they went to work at once, planning and
toiling on equal terms, a full half-and-half partnership. Both
were in great spirits.

In this task they fell back partly on talk that they had heard
from some of the men with whom they had started across the
plains, and partly on old reading, and it took quite a lot of
time. They looked first for large specimens of the white birch,
and finally found several on one of the lower slopes. This was
the first and, in fact, the absolutely vital requisite. Without
it they could do nothing, but, having located their bark supply,
th