“How long has it been since you saw him last, Seth?” asked Doctor Joe.

“I’m not rightly knowin’, but a half-hour whatever,” said Seth, “and I’m thinkin’ ’twere a bit longer.”

“He has probably gone back to camp, then,” agreed Doctor Joe.  “It was a pretty hard tramp for such a little fellow.  It is quite natural that he did not like to admit to you that he could not keep up with us, and he just slipped quietly away and returned to camp and said nothing about it.  He couldn’t well get lost with the brook so near to guide him.”

“Jamie’d never be gettin’ lost whatever,” asserted Andy.  “He’s wonderful good at findin’ his way about.”

“‘Tis goin’ to snow, and ’twill be dark early,” suggested David, as the little party turned down the brook to retrace their steps to camp.  “There’s a bend in the brook here; let’s cut across un and save time.  If she sets in to snow to-night ’tis like to keep un up all day to-morrow, and we’d better get back as quick as we can to cut plenty of wood and have un on hand.”

“Very well,” agreed Doctor Joe.  “You go ahead and guide us, David.”

“‘Twill be fine and cosy just bidin’ in camp and studyin’ up the things in the book,” said Obadiah as they followed David in a short cut toward camp.  “We’ll be havin’ a fine time even if it does snow too hard to go about.”

“Yes,” agreed Doctor Joe, “we can do that and learn a great many things about scouting.”

Suddenly David held up his hand for silence, and stooping peered through the trees ahead.  The others followed his gaze, and there, not above fifty yards away and looking curiously at them, stood a caribou.

Only David and Doctor Joe had brought rifles.  Almost instantly David’s rifle rang out, and the caribou turned and disappeared.

“I’m sure I hit he!” exclaimed David running in the direction the caribou had taken.  “I couldn’t miss he so close, and a fair shot!”

“You hit he!” exclaimed Andy who had dashed ahead.  “You hit he, Davy!  Here’s the mark of blood!”

A trail of blood left no doubt that the caribou had been hard hit, but it was followed for nearly a mile before they came upon the prostrate animal.

“Now we’ll have plenty of fresh deer’s meat!” burst out Obadiah enthusiastically.  “We’ll have meat for supper, and I’m wonderful hungry for un!”

“Yes,” agreed Doctor Joe, “we had better dress it at once.  There are enough of us to carry all the meat back with us to camp, and that will save making a return trip.”

“’Twill be a fine surprise for Jamie when we comes back with deer’s meat,” said Andy enthusiastically.

“‘Twill make us a bit late and he’ll be thinkin’ we finds the cache,” suggested David.  “I hopes he won’t be comin’ up the brook again to look for us.”

“I hardly think he’ll do that,” said Doctor Joe, “but to be sure he does not some of you had better go to the brook and leave a sign to tell him which way we’ve gone.  David and I will skin and dress the caribou.”