did she expect to gain tagging us through the woods that way half a mile
to the rear? She was just waiting 'till we got so far away from th'
Crees that we couldn't send her back. I'll fool her on that, damn her!"
He kicked a log back into place, sending the sparks eddying.

"I wonder if she's had anything to eat lately?" said Bolton.

"I don't care a damn whether she has or not," said Dick.

"Keep your hair on, my son," advised Sam again. "You're hot because you
thought you'd got shut of th' whole affair, and now you find you
haven't."

"You make me sick," commented Dick.

"Mebbe," admitted the woodsman. He fell silent, staring straight before
him, emitting short puffs from his pipe. The girl stood where she had
been thrust.

"I'll start her back in the morning," proffered Dick after a few
moments. Then, as this elicited no remark, "We can stock her up with
jerky, and there's no reason she shouldn't make it." Sam remained grimly
silent. "Is there?" insisted Dick. He waited a minute for a reply.
Then, as none came, "Hell!" he exclaimed, disgustedly, and turned away
to sit on a log the other side of the fire with all the petulance of a
child.

"Now look here, Sam," he broke out, after an interval. "We might as well
get at this thing straight. We can't keep her with us, now, can we?"