“But don’t you see,” insisted Milton, “I’m imperilling all your lives.  Without me, you could have made twice the distance you did to-day.”

“That’s probably true,” agreed Enoch.  “What of it?  Would you leave me in your fix, thinking you might bring help back?”

“That’s different!  You’re a tenderfoot and I’m not.  Moreover, greater care on my part would probably have prevented this whole series of accidents.”

“Now you are talking nonsense!” Enoch threw another log on the fire.  “Your illness is undermining your common sense, Milton.  We’ve got a tough few days ahead of us but we’ll tackle it together.  If we fail we fail together.  But I can see no reason why if we run as few risks as we did to-day, we should get into serious trouble.  We’re going to lose strength for lack of food, so we’ve got to move more and more slowly and carefully, and we’ll be feeling weak and done up when we reach the Ferry.  But I anticipate nothing worse than that.”

Milton sighed and was silent, for a time.  Then he said, “I could have managed Forr and Harden better, if I’d been willing to believe they were the pair of kids they proved to be.  As it is—­”

“As it is,” interrupted Enoch, firmly, “both chaps are learning a lesson that will probably cure them for all time of their foolishness.”

Milton looked long at Enoch’s tired face; then he lifted himself on one elbow.

“All right, Judge, I’m through belly-aching!  We’ll put it through somehow and if I have decent luck, early Spring will see me right here, beginning where I left off.  After all, Powell had to take two trials at it.”

“That’s more like you, Milton!  Is that dawn breaking yonder?”

“Yes,” replied Milton.  “Keep your ear and eye out for any sort of critters in this little spot, Judge.”

But, though Enoch, and the others, when he had roused them, beat the tiny blind alley thoroughly, not so much as a cottontail reward their efforts.

“Curious!” grumbled Enoch, “up at Mack’s camp where we really needed nothing, I found all the game in the world.  The perversity of nature is incomprehensible.  Even the fish have left this part of the river,” as Jonas with a sigh of discouragement tossed his improvised fishing tackle into the fire.

Agnew pulled his belt a notch tighter.  His brown face was beginning to look sagged and lined.  “Well,” cheerfully, “there are some advantages in being fat.  I’ve still several days to go before I reach your’s and Jonas’ state of slats, Judge.”

“Don’t get sot up about it, Ag,” returned Enoch.  “You look a good deal like a collapsed balloon, you know!  Shall we launch the good ship Ida, fellows?”

“She ain’t anything to what the Na-che was,” sighed Jonas, “but she’s pretty good at that.  If I ain’t too tired, to-night, I may clean her up a little.”

Even Milton joined in the laughter at this and the day’s journey was begun with great good humor.