e not there!"

"Then he must have hidden them away somewhere," Tommy declared.
"We laid them down just before crawling through that hole."

"You will doubtless find them in time," Antoine suggested.

"I should think the half-breed would have kept them pretty close,"
Sandy observed. "You don't find automatics like those every day!"

"It strikes me," Antoine said, directly, "that you boys would
better settle down for a little rest previous to going out after
your chum."

"Aw, we don't need any rest!" declared Tommy.

"Not while George is out in the cold!" Sandy cut in.

"Just as you please," smiled Antoine. "And now," he went on, "if
you've all had plenty to eat, I'll bring on the tea. Tea always
tastes better to me when there is no food in my mouth to interfere
with the flavor of it. I have a very fine brand here."

"We've been waiting for that tea!" laughed Tommy.

"You can't lose Tommy when it comes to anything good to eat or
drink!" laughed Sandy. "He's always on watch."

Antoine seemed a long time pouring the tea into the tin cups, which
he had placed on the rough board which served as a table. As he
bent over the teapot, a familiar sound caught Will's ears and he
turned his head aside to listen.

"Slap, slap, slap!"

The boy nudged Tommy who sat next to him with his elbow and called
his attention to the sound. Tommy almost sprang to his feet as he
listened, but Will forced him back with his hand.

"Slap, slap, slap!" came the signal again.

Sandy and Thede were now sitting with knives and forks suspended in
the air, listening wide-eyed to the sound.

"That's the Beaver call!" declared Will in a whisper.

"That means George!" Tommy whispered back.

"Sure!" was the reply. "There's no one else to give the Beaver
call here. I wonder why the boy doesn't show up."

In the meantime, Antoine had been busy over the teapot and had not
noticed what was going on at the table.

"I'm fixing this tea up particularly strong," he said, facing the
boys with a smile on his lips, "so you mustn't wonder if it tastes
just a little bit bitter. There's nothing on earth will do a man
who's been exposed to the weather more good than a strong cup of
tea!"

The man poured the decoction into the tin cups and brought out a
couple of cans of condensed milk and plenty of sugar.

"You see," he laughed, "that I have all the luxuries of an effete
civilization! Put in all the sugar you like, if you find the tea
t