they led down towards the neck that connected Firefly Lake with Lake
Cameron.

"I believe he did not imagine we'd get back so soon," said Giant. "He
reckoned on getting over Lake Cameron to the river before we could
spot him."

Wherever there was a ridge of snow on the ice they could see the marks
left by the tramp quite plainly. They skated with vigor, for they felt
that Kiddy Leech would do all in his power to escape.

"He may be lazy, but he'll hump himself now," declared Shep.

"And to think he'd do such a thing as this, afar what we did for him,"
said Giant. "He can't have any sense of gratitude."

On they went until they entered the rocky passage between the two
lakes. Here they had to walk through several ridges of snow and saw
that the tramp had done the same.

Out on Lake Cameron the ice was tolerably free from snow, so it was
not so easy to follow the trail. But they watched the ice closely, and
kept their eyes open for the tiny scratches made by the skate runners.
At one point, in a snow drift, they saw where the tramp had taken a
tumble and rolled over.

"Served him right," grumbled Snap. "I wish he had taken a dozen
falls."

They were nearing the end of the lake when they swept around a curve