“Come along, Seth,” Andy volunteered.  “We’ll be goin’ over to make the sign.”

“Come back here as soon as you’ve done it,” directed Doctor Joe.  “We’ll need your help in carrying the meat to camp.”

“Aye, sir, we’ll be comin’ right back,” agreed Andy as he and Seth hurried away.

Close to the brook, in a place where it could not fail to be seen, the lads set a pole at an angle of forty-five degrees, pointing in the direction in which the caribou had been killed.  Against the pole and about a third of the distance from its lower end an upright stick was placed.  This was an Indian sign familiar to all the hunters and wilderness folk, indicating that the party had gone in the direction in which the pole sloped, the upright stick a little way from the butt further indicating that the distance was not far.

“Jamie’ll know what that means, and if he wearies of bidin’ alone in camp and comes to find us he’ll not be missin’ us now whatever,” said Andy with satisfaction, as he and Seth turned back.

“I’m goin’ to blaze the trail over, and he won’t be like to miss un, then,” suggested Seth, taking the axe.

When Andy and Seth rejoined the others Doctor Joe and David had nearly finished skinning the caribou, and in due time they had it ready to cut up.  The head was severed with as little of the neck meat as possible that there might be no unnecessary waste, for they could not carry the head with them.  Then the tongue was removed, for this was considered a titbit.

The question of how to carry the meat to camp was finally settled by making two litters with poles.  The carcass was now cut into two nearly equal parts, one of which was placed on each litter.  Doctor Joe took the forward end of one of the litters, and David the forward end of the other.  With two boys carrying the rear end of each litter, and the other lads the skin, heart, liver and tongue, and the two rifles and the axe, they at length set out for camp.

Night was falling and the first flakes of the coming snow-storm were felt upon their faces when finally the little white tents came in view.

“There’s no light,” remarked David, who was in advance.  “Jamie’s savin’ candles.  I’m hopin’ now he has the kettle boilin’.”

“He’ll have un boilin’,” assured Andy, who was one of the two boys at the rear of David’s litter.  “He’ll be proud to have un boilin’ and supper started.”

“There’s no smoke!” exclaimed David apprehensively as they came closer.  “Jamie, b’y!” he shouted.  “Where is you?  Come out and see what we’re gettin’!”

But no Jamie came, and there was no answering call.  The stretchers were hastily placed on the ground, and every tent searched for Jamie.

“Jamie’s never been comin’ back since we leaves!” David declared.  “Whatever has been happenin’ to he?”

“I can’t understand it,” said Doctor Joe.  “He could not possibly have been lost.  Andy, you and Micah run down and look at the boats and see if he has been there.”