her general situation, she had seen enough of this boy to know that
he was just a poor, miserable coward--he aroused no fear in her heart.

"I'm going to just stick to you, Freddie," she assured him. She was
quite as strong as he, she knew. "You are going home. At least, you
shall go back to Mr. Cameron--"

Just then the flare of light ahead broadened and a gruff voice
shouted:

"Hullo! what's wanted? Down, Tiger! Behave, Rose!"

The dogs instantly stopped their clamor. The light came through the
open door and the glazed window of a little hut perched on a rock
overlooking the road. The mules had halted just below this eminence,
and Ruth saw that there was a winding path leading up to the door of
the hovel. Down this path came the huge figure of a man, with the two
dogs gamboling about him in the snow. The occupant of this cabin in
the wilderness carried a rifle in one hand.

"Hullo!" he said again. "That's Sim Rogers's team--I know those
mules. Are you there, Sim? What's happened ye?"

"Who is it?" whispered Ruth, again, still clinging to Fred's jacket.

"It's--it's the Rattlesnake Man," returned the boy, in a shaking
voice.

"Who is he?" asked Ruth, in surprise.