CHAPTER XII.

VISITORS.

As Lucky had predicted the storm blew itself out during the night and the stars were shining in a clear sky when they ate breakfast shortly after seven o'clock.

"How um foot feel?" Lucky asked when the meal was over.

"Fine's a fiddle," Jack assured him and to convince him that he was telling the truth he took a few steps with only a slight limp.

"You no can walk on foot today. Mebby tomorrow, oui."

"Sure I can. Why it doesn't hurt hardly any."

"Lucky's right, old man, and you know it. As long as it hurts at all it would be foolish to think of trying to walk on snow-shoes," Bob added.

"But couldn't I ride on the sled?" Jack asked.

"No can do. Too mooch snow mak' eet too hard for dog. Eet keel um."

"Well, of course, I don't want to do anything like that, but I sure do hate to be wasting time here. By the time we get up there we'll probably find they've left for the North Pole."

"Then it'll be the North Pole for us," Bob chuckled.

During the day Jack growled off and on at the enforced delay although he knew that the Indian was quite right. But the ankle was improving rapidly, thanks to Bob's treatment, and he was resolved that it should not keep them from starting out the next morning.

The next morning came at last and, although the Indian shook his head and Bob advised waiting over another day, Jack insisted that the ankle would stand it and, against their better judgment, they finally gave in.

"You no keep on that ankle heem hurt," Lucky ordered as, shortly after eight o'clock, they were all ready to go. "That ankle heem no strong an' you hurt heem some more mebby you no use heem again for ver' long time."

The weather had continued warmer than was usual and the snow, which had been heavy when it fell, had settled rapidly and was so well packed in most places that the dogs sank in but a little and the sled hardly at all.

"Eet ver' bon snow-shoen'," Lucky said after they were fairly on the way.

"You bet," Bob replied. Then, turning to Jack, he asked: "Does that ankle hurt any?"

"Nothing to speak of," Jack assured him. "Of course, I know I've got one."

"You tak' heem easy. I tink snow packed 'nough so you can ride some on sled when you geet tired," Lucky told him.

"I'll let you know when I want to ride," Jack assured them.

The Indian had set a slow pace, knowing that Jack would not be able to maintain a fast one for any length of time, and it was nearly ten o'clock when they reached the scene of the accident and retrieved the meat which Bob had cached there.

Lucky had estimated that they had made about twenty-five miles when they stopped for the night shortly after five o'clock. It had been dark for several hours, but not dark enough to prevent them from traveling. Jack had rode a good part of the way although he had protested strongly every time Lucky or Bob had proposed it, and his ankle was in fairly good shape although he confessed that "it didn't feel as good as new."

"But another night's rest will fix it all right," he assured them.

All day their way had led through the defile between the two ranges of mountains and, for the most part, they had been ascending although at no time had the way been at all steep. They were off to an early start the next morning resolved to make a long day of it, provided Jack's ankle permitted, and when the sun showed itself over the top of the mountain, Lucky declared they had covered not less than fifteen miles. Jack had walked nearly all the time, resorting to the sled only a couple of times and then only for short distances.

Shortly after noon they emerged from the defile and found, stretching out before them and sloping gently downward, an unbroken waste of snow reaching as far as they could see.

"Great Scott!" Bob burst out. "How are we ever going to keep a straight course across all that?"

"We ought to have a compass," Jack added.

"Mebby heem not so far heem look," Lucky told them. "Eet ver' what you call hazy. Mebby not ver' far 'cross."

"Here's hoping," Bob told him.

His hope was realized for just as it was beginning to get dark they sighted a thick growth of trees and in another hour they were once more traveling through woods.

"Are you sure we're on the right trail, Lucky?" Bob asked anxiously.

"Oui. I tink so. Eskimo heem tell me whar go."

"But how do you know that he was telling the truth. Any man who would do what he did wouldn't hesitate to lie."

"Mebby heem lie."

"Well, I suppose the only way to find out is to keep on."

"Oui, that only way."

How the Indian could keep anything like a straight course through the deep forest, in which they were now traveling, and where he had never been before, was a mystery to the boys. But he never hesitated as he led the way and they knew they were making good time. It was about half past five when he finally called a halt for the night and both boys were glad to hear the order, Jack especially as his ankle, which was still far from being strong, had been giving him considerable pain during the last hour.

"We mak' eet tomorrow, mebby," Lucky told them as he set about making the dogs comfortable for the night.

The temperature had been falling ever since morning and now the mercury in their thermometer stood thirty degrees below zero and was still falling.

"It's going to be a bit cold around the edges tonight," Bob declared as he took the axe and started to hunt for firewood.

"Bet she'll go to forty," Jack agreed.

"How cold you ever know it to get up here, Lucky?" he asked a little later as they were sitting around the fire eating supper.

"'Bout feefty-five, mebby seexty."

"Well, I hope it doesn't break that record while we're up here," Bob laughed.

They reached Colville River soon after dark the following day and made camp in a thick clump of trees close to the bank.

"Wonder if there's any fish in this river?" Jack asked.

"I 'spect um thar, but you find eet plenty hard work cut hole een ice," Lucky told him.

"Do you fellows want some fresh fish for supper enough to do the work here while I'm trying to get some?"

"Go to it," Bob told him.

If he had realized what it meant to get a hole through the ice it is doubtful if Jack would have proposed fish for supper, but once started he was resolved not to give up. But it was all of an hour and a half from the time he started before he was ready to drop in his line. However he felt amply repaid when he carried six good sized salmon back to camp.

"You got 'em," Bob greeted him.

"Sure did, but I thought I'd hit the bottom of the river before I struck water," Jack told him.

"How thick is the ice?"

"Must be nearly three feet and there's about four feet of snow on top of that."

"Well, you ought to have a medal."

The fish proved a very welcome addition to their rations and they had a good, if a rather late, supper.

"Do we go up or down from here?" Bob asked a little later.

"Up," Lucky replied.

"But have you any idea how far from here they are?"

"Not mooch. That man heem say only leetle way from whar we strike river."

"Then we ought to find them tomorrow?"

"Mebby. No can tell."

Lucky and Bob had dug a hole in the snow and had covered the bottom with an extra thick layer of spruce boughs as the night bid fair to be the coldest they had yet encountered. The sleeping room, as Jack dubbed it, was long enough to permit a good sized fire to be built at one end and, as the walls were nearly five feet high, it was really cozy by the time they were ready to turn in.

"Forty-eight below," Bob announced as he glanced at the thermometer just before crawling into his bag.

"I should worry," Jack, who had been "in bed" for some moments, chuckled.

Jack was a sound sleeper and seldom awoke during the night unless disturbed. But this night it seemed to him that he had hardly fallen asleep when he awoke with a sudden start. For a moment he lay wondering what had happened. He could hear Bob breathing steadily on one side of him while the Indian was snoring quietly on the other, and knew they were both sleeping. The fire had died down to a bed of coals by which he knew that he had been asleep for some hours at least. He was about to shut his eyes again, convinced that he had awakened without cause, when a low threatening growl reached his ears.

"That's Lightning," he thought as he strained his ears again.

For some moments he heard no other sound and drowsiness was stealing over him when the sharp snap of a twig brought him wide awake. Reaching over he touched his brother lightly.

"S-s-s-s-h. Listen," he whispered.

"What is it?" Bob breathed.

"There's something or someone out there."

"I don't hear a thing," Bob whispered.

"Listen."

"I hear it now," as another twig snapped, answered by an angry snarl from one of the dogs which awoke Lucky.

"What matter with dog?" he whispered as soon as he saw that the boys were awake.

"There's something prowling around the camp," Bob told him.

"Injun go see."

"Reckon we'd better all go," Bob said as he began to squirm out of his bag.

There was only a small rim of the moon showing, but the sky was filled with stars and it was not dark. In fact Bob could see for some distance through the woods as he carefully raised his eyes over the edge of the snow. At first he saw nothing to cause him any alarm, but after a moment of watching he caught sight of a shadowy form stealing from behind a large tree about thirty feet away to the security of another some ten feet nearer.

"It's a man," he whispered. "And there's another and another," he added a moment later.

The dogs were now growling almost continually.

"What'll we do?" Jack whispered.

"We wait, see what um do," Lucky whispered back.

"How many have you seen?"

"Six so far," Bob whispered, and a moment later added: "They're working around where the dogs are."

"That no go," Lucky growled. "Mebby um keel dog."

As he spoke the Indian leaped to the edge of the snow and shouted:

"Who you, eh?"

For a moment there was silence broken only by the snarls of the dogs, then, from behind a tree, only about ten feet from where he stood, stepped a man. The boys could see that it was a man of large frame standing well over six feet, but it was not light enough to guess at his nationality until he spoke.

"Who you?"

"He's a breed," Bob whispered in Jack's ear.

"What you want in night here?" Lucky snapped the question in a tone they had never before heard him use.

"You name Lareux?" the man asked ignoring Lucky's question.

"Non."

"What ees eet?"

"Hogan, Lucky Hogan."

"Dat sound Irish. You Irish? You no talk Irish."

"No Irish. Me Injun."

"Your name Irish, you talk lik' breed an' say you Injun. Eet too mooch. You step out here whar I geet good look. You try funny beesness an' my man heem shoot."

For an moment Lucky hesitated as though trying to make up his mind whether or not to obey the order.

"Go ahead, Lucky," Bob whispered. "I've got him covered."

"My man heem got you on de sight," Lucky said as he took a few steps forward in the deep snow.

The other, who was on snow-shoes, advanced to meet him and in a moment they were close together. The stranger carried a rifle, but he bore it over his shoulder as though he had no idea of using it at present. On his snow-shoes he towered nearly two feet above Lucky.

"You no Lareux," the boys heard him say.

"Who heem?" Lucky asked.

"Heem ver' bad mans. Heem keel one of my mans an' we hunt heem."

"When heem keel heem?"

"Tree, mebby four day ago," the stranger answered somewhat evasively Bob thought.

"Where you leeve, eh?" Lucky asked after a pause of a moment.

"Up nor'."

"How far?"

"What for you ask question so mooch?" It was plain that the man was rapidly loosening his patience of which he probably had no great store.

"You ask first," Lucky told him pleasantly.

"Dat my beesness."

"Mine too."

"How many mans you got?"

"Some. How many you?"

"You see some man yes'day?" the stranger next asked without replying to the question.

"Non."

"Day 'fore dat?"

"Non."

"All right. We go now. You no man we want."

He turned and stole silently back into the forest and the boys could see others slipping from behind trees and following him.

"What do you make of it?" Bob asked as soon as the Indian was back in the "bed room."

For a moment Lucky hesitated.

"Injun no like dat man," he finally said.

"You think he's no good?"

"Mebby. Injun tink heem--what you call heem?--one beeg bluff."

"You mean you think he was after us and not that man he mentioned?"

"Oui."

"Then why did he leave?"

"Heem heap big coward. Heem no know how many here."

"You think he'll come back?"

"Mebby. No can tell."

"Well, it's after three o'clock now. I reckon we'd better keep an eye open, eh?"

"Injun watch. White boys go sleep."

But both declared they had had enough sleep and could not go to sleep again anyway, so they built up the fire and, for the next two hours the Indian entertained them with his stories of which he seemed to have an inexhaustable supply. But every few minutes one or the other would get up and take a look around, not that they thought it at all likely that they would return so soon, but they wanted to be on the safe side.

"How about eats?" Bob asked when his watch told him that it was nearly six o'clock.

"You wait leetle minute," Lucky said as he got to his feet.

"What you going to do?" Bob asked.

"Injun scout 'round leetle 'fore we geet eats. Mebby they hide somewhere, take shot, oui."

"You'll be careful?"

"Oui. Injun look out ver' queek."

While talking the Indian had jumped out of the hole and was fastening on his snow-shoes.

"You no geet out till Injun come back," he ordered.

"You're the boss," Jack told him and the next moment he was gone.

"Hope he isn't gone long," Bob said as he sat down again.

"He seems to think of everything," Jack said. "You and I would have gone right out and started breakfast and made a fine target of ourselves without giving it a thought."

"Perhaps."

"Probably."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps what?" Jack snapped.

"Perhaps, probably," Bob laughed and Jack joined in.

A half hour passed and they were beginning to get uneasy when the Indian returned.

"All gone," he announced.

"Good. Now we can get something to eat and, believe me, I'm about starved."

"Same here," Jack added.

"Now we got be mighty careful," Lucky cautioned as they were about to start off up the river an hour later.

"You think they may be coming back?" Bob asked.

"No can tell. We--what you call heem?--play heem safe."

"You bet," Jack declared. "That's my motto, 'play safe'."

"Since when?" Bob asked.

"Since--since--well, since I got a good look at that half-breed," Jack stammered.

"I thought it was of recent origin."

They had intended to travel on the river as it was much easier than through the woods, but Lucky told them it would be safer to keep to the woods declaring that they would make altogether too good a mark out in the open.

"Injun goin' keep leetle way ahead an' white boys follow heem track. No can geet lost."

"No, but you can get shot," Bob said soberly.

"Injun no geet shot. Injun got eyes."

"I'll say you have," Jack testified.

When all was ready the Indian ordered them to give him a start of five minutes and then to come on with the team. Both boys had, during the trip, taken turns at driving the dogs and, although they still lacked much of Lucky's skill, they could manage very well. The Indian took a course nearer the river than that taken by their visitors of the night so they had no trouble in following his tracks.

"Hope he don't get too far away," Bob said as he gave the order to mush.

They had been on the way a little over an hour when, suddenly, the sound of a rifle shot broke the silence of the forest.

"What's that?" Bob cried as he ordered the dogs to halt.

"There's no doubt about what it was," Jack answered. "The big question is why?"

"Was it Lucky's rifle, do you think?"

"Don't know."

They listened for a moment or two but there was no other shot.

"Maybe he shot at a deer or something," Jack suggested.

"If he did he'll be coming back in a minute because he'll know we won't know what to make of it."

"Well, if he doesn't show up pretty soon I'm going on. Perhaps he's in trouble."

"We'll wait five minutes," Bob said glancing at his watch.

The five minutes were just up when they caught sight of the Indian coming toward them at a rapid lope.

"What's up?" Bob asked.

"Did you shoot?" Jack asked.

"No shoot, geet shoot at," he told them.

"One of those fellows?" Bob asked.

"Injun 'spect so, no see um."

"Tell us about it," Jack said as Lucky paused.

"Not mooch tell. Injun go 'long like when bang go gun, but no geet heet, so come back."

"Well, what'll we do?" Bob asked.

"Do you think he meant to hit you?" Jack asked before the Indian could reply to Bob's question.

"Tink heem mean scare Injun. No hear bullet."

"Then I move we go on. I don't belive they intend to kill us and anyhow they can do it about as well in one place as another up here if that's what they are after."

"What do you think, Lucky?" Bob asked.

"We run dey catch us, we stay here dey find us yer' queek. Mebby we go on."

But as it happened it was not left for them to decide for just then another shot rang out followed by the thud of a bullet as it buried itself in the trunk of a tree over Jack's head.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" he shouted.

In answer to the question a man, whom they all recognized as their visitor of the night before, stepped out from behind a tree about thirty feet away. Instantly Bob had him covered with his rifle.

"No shoot," the man cried.

"Why not?" Bob demanded. "You've had two shots at us."

"No shoot to hit."

"Well, that last one was a bit too close for comfort," Bob told him still keeping his rifle leveled.

"My mans all 'round you. You shoot we keel all."

"That's different." Bob lowered his gun as he had little doubt, but that the man was speaking the truth. "What do you want with us?" he demanded.

Instead of replying to the question the breed stepped forward after giving a shrill whistle. Then they saw that he had indeed spoken the truth for instantly, from all sides, five other men stepped from behind the trees and came toward them.

"Some reception," Jack whispered.

"You come wid us," the big man ordered as he motioned to his men to start north.

"What's the idea?" Jack asked.

"Huh?" The man snapped.

"I mean what are you going to do with us?"

"You find dat out later."

"But I want to know now."

Jack was never one to be bossed unless the one who did it had a good right and he was mad clear through.

"No geet heem mad now," Lucky whispered and taking the hint, Jack added:

"All right, have it your own way. I reckon you're the doctor."

"Huh?"

"I said you're the big boss."

"Oui, me boss." It was clear that the man was pleased with the acknowledgment. "You do what me say no geet hurt. Try funny beesness an' you better not."

"I reckon you're right," Jack assured him.

He ordered them to follow after his men and he brought up the rear keeping a few yards behind them.

"What do you make of it, Bob?" Jack whispered after they had gone a short distance.

"Haven't an idea, but we'll probably find out sooner or later."

"I reckon."

They noted that they were traveling in a direction which made an angle of some forty-five degrees with the river and the way was up a gentle rise for more than an hour.

Suddenly, when they were nearly to the top of the hill, a large but low log cabin loomed up ahead.

"Guess we're there," Bob said in a low tone.

"You mean here, don't you?"

"It's all the same."

The five men, all breeds, were standing about the door, as they came up, as if awaiting further orders from their leader. He spoke some words to them, in a French dialect, which the boys, although they were fairly conversant with the language, failed to understand, but it was evidently an order for one of them to show the Indian where he was to stable the dogs. The man motioned for Lucky to follow him around back of the cabin and, without a word, he drove the team after him. The leader pushed open the door and, after slipping off his snow-shoes, told the boys to enter.

The cabin was roughly but almost luxuriantly furnished and consisted of at least two rooms. The front room, in which they found themselves, contained a large massive table in the center and a half dozen roughly built, but comfortable easy chairs, four of them being rockers. A huge fireplace occupied nearly the whole of one end while the side away from the door was lined with bunks. Several bear and deer skins were on the floor and above the fireplace an enormous moose head was fastened to the logs, the antlers touching the top of the room. Many skins of different animals adorned the walls. Altogether it was a most homelike appearing room and, for a moment, the boys gazed about spellbound.

"Nice place you have here," Jack finally declared.

"Oui, eet ver' bon," their host replied evidently pleased with the praise.

"Did you build it?" Bob asked.

"Non, me no build heem."

"Bought it, eh?"

"Non, no buy heem."

Evidently the man did not intend to enlighten them as to the means by which he had secured possession of the cabin and Bob quickly decided that it would not be wise to press the matter. Instead he asked:

"Are we to consider ourselves prisoners?"

For a moment the man did not answer then, then with a slight shrug of his massive shoulders, he said:

"Mebby."

"What do you mean by that?" Bob demanded.

"You geeve word you no try geet away you no prisoner."

"And if we refuse?"

Again the man shrugged his shoulders. "Den you prisoner, oui."

"Then I reckon we'll have to be prisoners. But what's the idea?"

"Huh?"

"I mean why have you taken us prisoners?"

"You find dat out plenty time."

Before Bob could speak again the door opened and Lucky, followed by the five breeds, entered the room. The Indian seemed as much astonished as had the boys at the room, but they could see that he was trying not to make any show of his astonishment.

"Deese boy no promise not to geet away," the leader said turning to Lucky. "You mak' 'em promise, oui?"

"Non." The Indian shook his head.

"Den we feex you so you no geet away."

"Mebby."

"For sure, no mebby."

Lucky shrugged his shoulders as much as to say that the incident was closed so far as he was concerned, and the leader turned to one of the men and gave an order.

"You mak' home," he said not unpleasantly turning again to Lucky and the boys who were standing close together. "Dinner be ready een jest leetle while."

Evidently the big living-room served also for the dining-room for the cover, a huge bear skin was removed by one of the breeds and dishes substituted.

"Reckon they don't intend to starve us," Jack whispered a little later as one of the breeds brought in a huge roast of venison and placed it on the table.

"Perhaps they're going to eat and let us look on," Bob suggested.

But in this he was mistaken for, after the table had been loaded with food of many varieties, they were invited to sit up and eat.

"They've got a good chef that's sure," Jack whispered soon after they started eating.

"Both as to quality and quantity," Bob agreed.

Great as was the quantity of food provided it disappeared rapidly before the attack of the half-breeds who ate voraciously and with little regard for table etiquette. There was no conversation except a whispered word now and then between the two boys who sat side by side. The Indian, whether by accident or design they could not tell, had been placed on the other side of the table. Two large logs were blazing in the fireplace and, as Bob looked about the room, he was reminded of the many tales he had read of the old Norsemen and their crude, but rugged civilization. It seemed that history had been turned back a thousand years.

As soon as all had finished eating two of the men began to clear the table while the others, with the exception of the leader, began a game of cards at a smaller table in one of the corners near the fire.

"What you do up here, eh?"

The leader shot the question at them so suddenly that both boys gave a sudden start. Bob cast a questioning glance at Lucky and tried to read in his face whether or not he ought to divulge the object of their trip. But the Indian's face gave no sign and, after a moment's hesitation, he decided that it could do no harm to tell him.

"We are looking for our uncle," he said.

"Oui? What heem name?"

"Lakewood. Silas Lakewood."

"What heem do up here, eh?"

"He came up here from Nome some months ago on a prospecting trip."

"He no geet back?"

"No."

"What heem look like?"

"It will probably seem strange to you, but the fact is we have never seen him," Bob replied and went on to tell how it had all come about.

"Dat bon story," the man said when he had finished. "You say dat man's name what come wid heem ees Long, eh?"

"That's it. Have you seen them?"

The man slowly shook his head. "Non, me no see them."

A little later he joined the others at cards and the three friends were left alone at the farther side of the room where they could converse in low tones without danger of being overheard.

"It's a queer thing that they haven't taken our revolvers away from us," Bob declared.

"I was just thinking that same thing," Jack added. "What's the matter with holding them up right now?"

But the Indian shook his head as he whispered. "Eet no go. Dey watch us all the tam. You reach for gun an' they geet you first."

"He's right, Jack," Bob agreed. "I have an idea they wouldn't object to an excuse for shooting us. We'd better sit tight for the present and play it safe."

"But I'll bet my last year's straw hat that that guy was lying when he said he hadn't seen Uncle or Long. Didn't you notice how he hesitated when you asked him?"

"I did, and I think you're right about the lying. He's seen them all right."

About an hour later the other two men came in from the back room and joined in the game which lasted until nearly six o'clock. Then another two set about getting supper while the others continued to play. Not a word had been said to the three prisoners during the afternoon after their first conversation with the leader and, to a casual observer, it would have appeared that they were taking no notice of them. But they knew that not a single motion escaped observation and they were very careful to make no move which could possibly be interpreted as hostile.

The supper, although not as elaborate as the dinner, was a good one and, although they had eaten a big dinner, they did it full justice. The meal over the game of cards was resumed and again the three were left to their own resources.

"My, but this is getting monotonous," Jack declared when a clock on the mantle over the fireplace struck nine. "If we only had something to read it wouldn't be so bad."

But there was neither paper nor book anywhere in the room so far as they could see. But soon after the game broke up and it was evident that bed time had arrived.

"You geeve promise we no tie you up," the leader said, crossing the room to their side.

"Nothing doing," Bob fold him without hesitation.

"Den we have tie you up."

"I reckon you'll have to do as you think best about that."

"Geeve me you guns."

It was an order they had been expecting and, knowing it would be useless to refuse, they complied, after which the man searched each one carefully. Then he spoke a few words to one of his men who at once left the room returning a few minutes later with some pieces of rope about the size of clothesline.

"You geet een deese bunk," the man ordered pointing at the end of the room away from the fireplace.

With no protest they complied and the man proceeded to tie their hands behind their backs and their feet together. Then he covered them each with a heavy blanket and said:

"You no be ver' bon sleep, but you no geeve promise."

"That's all right," Bob told him cheerfully.

"You geet cold you call an' me geet you more blanket, oui."

"Thanks."

In another five minutes the lights had been extinguished and only a feeble flicker from the dying fire illuminated the room. Bob had chosen the lowest of the three bunks and he knew that Jack was in the one next above while the Indian occupied the top one. He had expected they would be tied during the night, but was not sure whether or not a watch would be kept on them. He had, for several years together with Jack, practiced the art of freeing himself from bonds and both boys were about as expert at the trick as the Great Houdini himself. During the evening he had cautioned Jack to be on the watch for the move so, while the man was tying their wrists together both boys were straining every muscle in order to get as much slack as possible when they relaxed. But Bob had sensed during the tying that the man was no weakling at the job and he was not at all sure that he could free his hands when the time came.

For an hour he made no effort to get his hands free and he had cautioned Jack to wait until he should give him the signal. When the clock struck eleven he gave a slight cough which a moment later was answered from the bunk above and he knew that Jack understood. He was certain that they had stationed no watch, relying on the security of the ropes, and he was also quite sure that they were all asleep and he knew that, as a rule, these breeds were sound sleepers.

From the feel of the rope about his wrists he knew he was in for a long job even if he succeeded. Although he had done his best there was mighty little slack so tightly had the man tied the rope. He hoped that Jack had been able to secure more, but did not dare whisper to find out. The half hour struck and he was still striving and about ready to give up the task as impossible when he felt rather than heard Jack slip from his bunk.

"You untied?"

"No, he got 'em too tight."

"I just made it and that's all."

With Jack's assistance his hands were soon free and he quickly released his feet.

"Be careful when you wake Lucky," Jack whispered.

But, although the Indian had made no movement he was wide awake and, as soon as Bob had freed his hands and feet, he slipped to the floor beside them. The room was in darkness as the fire had gone out all but a few live coals which gave no light.

"Stay right here till I get the rifles," Bob ordered.

He knew that their rifles had been stood in a corner to the right of the fire and he stepped across the room in that direction his moccasins making not the slightest sound. In a moment he was back with the guns and they lost no time in opening the door and stepping outside.

"So far so good," Jack whispered with a sigh of relief.

"Have they got any dogs?" Bob asked Lucky.

"I tink not. Injun see no dog."

"Then we probably can get ours without making any noise."

"Oui, I tink so."

"It would be a big item in our favor if we could take all their rifles and revolvers away from them," Jack suggested as they moved away from the door.

"Too risky," Bob whispered.

"What do you think, Lucky?" Jack asked.

"Bob right. Eet too risky."

"You may be right but it seems to me that it would be worth the risk for we'd then have them at our mercy."

"But they'll sleep till six o'clock and that'll give us about six hours' start."

"Start for where?"

"Gee, that's so. Where are we going to start for? We haven't found Uncle yet."

"And he's up here somewhere and something tells me that that man Long has some kind of a connection with this gang." Jack declared as they reached the rear of the cabin.

"And, of course, we can't go till we find him."

"Of course not."

That they were in a predicament was evident to all. To be sure they had made good their escape for the time being, but they well knew that, as things stood then, their recapture was only a matter of a few hours and their captors would undoubtedly see to it that they did not make their escape a second time. If only their mission was completed and they could leave at once, the chances were greatly in favor of a complete get away, but, come what might, all three were agreed that such action was out of the question. While the men had, in a way, treated them kindly they knew that they were men who would hesitate at nothing to accomplish their purpose whatever that might be.

"Well, we've got to do some tall thinking and do it quick," Bob declared. "What's your opinion, Lucky?"

"We must no geet caught again."

"That's easy to say," Jack said. "But how are we going to help it? We can't move a foot in this snow without leaving tracks and they're six to our three and in a rough and tumble we wouldn't be in it for a minute."

"Oui, you heet eet."

"Then what can we do? It seems to me that my plan of getting all their weapons is the only thing left for us."

"Eet ver' risky."

"Of course it's risky, but we've taken risks before."

"Their rifles are hanging on the walls and I reckon we could get them easy enough," Bob said thoughtfully, "but when it comes to their six guns it's a cat of another color. They've got them in their belts and it would take a miracle to get them all without waking any of them. If it was only one or even two it might be done, but six--it's practically impossible."

"But not absolutely," Jack insisted.

"Well, what's your plan?"

"My idea is for all of us to go in and for one of us to frisk them while the others stand guard with the rifles ready. If one of them wakes up we could simply tell them that the first one to move out of his bunk would get a hunk of lead in his skin."

"But it's dark in there and we couldn't see them and they could shoot from their bunks," Bob objected.

"And that's where the risk comes in. Mind I didn't say it wasn't dangerous."

"Let's see," Bob mused aloud. "They've probably all got at least one gun and with our three it makes nine and even then we couldn't be sure we had them all. What do you say, Lucky?"

"White boys stay out here an' Injun go in geet guns."

"Not so you'd notice it," Jack broke in and Bob agreed with him.

"But that the ver' best--" the Indian began, but Bob interrupted.

"No use to argue on that line, old man. Either we all go in as Jack proposed, or we try some other plan."

"And that's final," Jack added.

"If it was only light enough in there so that we could keep them covered--" Bob began.

"But it isn't, so there's no use wishing it was," Jack interrupted. "I tell you it's our only chance."

"And it's a mighty slim one."

"I grant you that but I still stick to it that it's the thing to do. The way I look at it is this, if one of them wakes up and starts shooting the chances are that he wouldn't hit us and, if it got too hot, we could bolt the door and once outside we'd be no worse off than we're going to be when they catch us in the morning as they're going to do if we don't get those guns."

"I don't know, but you're right," Bob said slowly.

"Of course I am."

"Do you think so, Lucky?" Bob asked.

"Oui, I t'ink heem heet eet."