“That’s a fact!” Will agreed.  “We’ve got one wounded boy on our hands now, and we don’t care about having another.”

“Look here,” George cut in crossly, “if you think I’m too much trouble, you can just drop me down in the snow anywhere and I’ll take care of myself!”

“Aw, cut it out!” roared Tommy.

The boys laughed so heartily at the idea of leaving their chum in the snow to care for himself that his mood instantly changed to one of apology.  In a moment, he was all smiles again.

“Now, if you’ve got that little scrap settled, you can give me a boost through this window!” suggested Thede.

“Sure the door’s closed?” asked Tommy.

“Closed and latched!” was the answer.

The boys had some difficulty in removing the single sash which protected the opening, but the task was finally accomplished, and then Thede crawled through into the cottage.

The boys heard him drop lightly to the floor and then followed a long silence.  Presently Sandy clambered up the log wall and peered inside.

He saw Thede standing close against the wall, gazing down at a great haunch of venison which lay on the floor.

“If you want to keep that in good condition for eating, hang it out in the frost,” laughed Sandy.  “We can’t afford to lose that!”

Thede beckoned to him to enter, and the boy dropped down on the floor.

“Who brought it here?” he asked.

“Search me!” Thede answered.

“It might have been Antoine.”

“Aw, he couldn’t kill a deer and bring in that big haunch with that lame wrist of his!” Thede exclaimed.

Sandy looked out of the window and beckoned to his chums to enter.

They gathered around the haunch of venison with amazement depicted on their faces.  The fire still burned brightly, and it was evident that it had not been long since new fuel had been laid.

“Some one made us a present, I take it!” Tommy grinned.

“But who?” demanded Will.

“It’s one of the mysteries of the British Northwest Territories!” replied Sandy.  “Suppose,” the boy continued, “we open the door and bring George in.  He must be getting cold by this time!”

“Be careful when you open the door, then,” Thede warned.

But there was no one at the door or, at first, within view of it.  There were plenty of tracks, however, which appeared to have been recently made.  George was carried into the cabin, and then Sandy and Tommy set out to trace some of the foot-prints to their destination.

“I’m going to know where that fellow went,” the former declared.

“I have an idea he’ll come back before long,” Sandy suggested.  “He’s built a nice fire and brought in plenty of venison, and won’t go away and leave the cosy corner just yet.”

When the boys came to the edge of the morass, they saw a figure flitting into the underbrush on the other side.