“Wal, boys, I swan! it’s many a long year since a panther was seen in these forests, so ye needn’t feel skeery about meetin’ one,” said the old settler, as he stood outside his log home, and watched his guests start.  “I’ll ‘low ye won’t find travellin’ too easy ’long the ole corduroy road.  Come again!”

There was much waving of hats as the wagon, a roomy, four-wheeled vehicle, moved off, with a creaking in its joints as if it were squealing a protest against its load, which consisted of the five lads, together with knapsacks, guns, tents, and the camp duffle.

“Forward, all!” shouted Dr. Phil, who had been chosen to act as captain of the two companies during the few days while they journeyed together.

Lin, who was charioteer, cracked a long whip above his horses.  The boys cheered, while Doc, Cyrus, and the two guides fell behind, choosing to follow the wagon on foot for the first few miles of the journey.

“Where did you buy that, Lin?” asked Neal, climbing over to a perch beside the driver, and pointing to a heavy Colt’s revolver which the young settler was buckling round his waist.

“Didn’t buy it.  I traded a calf for it at Greenville more’n a year ago,” was the reply.  “Fust-rate gun it is, too, I vum!  I’ve stood at our cabin-door, and killed many a buck with it.  On’y ’tain’t much good for tackling a bear.  Wish’t the bears ud get as scarce as the panthers!  Then we’d be rid o’ two master pests.  Hello!  Don’t y’u git to tumbling out jist yet!  That’s on’y a circumstance to the jolts there’ll be when we strike a bit o’ corduroy road.”

Lin Hathaway grabbed young Farrar by the elbow while he spoke, and held him steady with the horny hand which had swung the axe against the doomed pine-tree.  For Neal had shown a sudden inclination to pitch headlong out of the wagon, as its right wheels were hoisted a foot or more above the left ones by rolling over a mossy bump in the ground.

For the first five miles the forest road had been simply constructed thus:  First, the bushy undergrowth had been cut away and thrown to one side, the space cleared being about eight feet wide; then all trees growing in the range of this track had been sawn off close to the ground, and windfalls which barred the way were removed.  It was a rude highway, with plenty of deformities, such as ends of rotting stumps, twisted roots, ridges and bumps which had never been levelled; yet it was beautiful beyond any smooth, well-graded road which the travellers had ever seen.  As it wound along in graceful curves through the woods, it was shaded now by an emerald arch of evergreens, now by a royal crimson canopy of maple branches, while patches of buff, orange, and dull red commingled where other trees interlaced with these to whisper woodland secrets.

But the boys soon understood what Doc meant when he spoke of their having “a bracing ride in more senses than one;” for the motion of the wagon was a giddy series of jolts and bounces, with just sufficient interval between each shock for them to brace themselves, with stiffened backbones, for the next upheaval.  They had already begun, as Royal said, “to have kinks in all their limbs,” when Lin suddenly announced,—­