nd
shout. But now we must get him back to the major.

"You're needed," explained the man. "Couple of kids." And he said to us:
"Go ahead and tell him. I'm due at the mine." And off he trudged. We
thanked him.

"What's the trouble?" asked the doctor.

"Appendicitis, we think. We're from the Harden ranch."

"Great Scott!" we heard the doctor mutter. Then he said. "All right,
I'll be down." And we waited.

He came out of a side door and around upon the porch. He was buttoning
his shirt.

"Who's got it? Not one of _you_?"

"No, another boy. He was sick on the trail and we took him to the ranch.
Then we rode over here."

"What makes you think your friend has appendicitis?"

We described how the major acted and what Fitz had found out by feeling,
and what we had done.

"Sounds suspicious," said the doctor, shortly. "You did the right thing,
anyway. Do you want to go back with me? I'll start right over. Expect
you're pretty tired."

"We'll go," we both exclaimed. We should say so! We wanted to be there,
on the spot.

"I'll just get my case, and saddle-up." And he disappeared.

He was a young doctor, smooth-faced; I guess he hadn't been out of
college very long; but he was prompt and ready. He came down in a moment
with a lantern, and put his case on the porch. He handed us a paper of
stuff.

"There's some lump sugar," he said. "Eat it. I always carry some about
with me, on long rides. It's fine for keeping up the strength."

He swung the lantern to get a look at us, then he went back toward the
stables, and saddled his horse. He was in the store a moment, too.

"I've got some cheese," he announced, when he came out again. "Cheese
and sugar don't sound good as a mixture, but they'll see us through. We
must keep our nerve, you know. All aboard?"

"All aboard," we answered.

That was another long ride, back; but it did not seem so long as the
ride in, because we knew that we were on the right trail. The doctor
talked and asked us all about our trip as Scouts, and told experiences
that he had had on trips, himself; and we tried to meet him at least
halfway. But all the time I was wondering about the major, and whether
we would reach him in time, and whether he would get well, and what was
happening now, there. But there was no use in saying this, or in asking
the doctor a lot of questions. He would know and he would do his best,
and so would we all.

Just at daylight we again entered the ranch yard. Fitz