“Where is he?” Scott asked. If Hopwood had taken up his fight he wanted to know what it was so that he could take it up himself.
“He is up in his cabin. I tried to bring him down here, but he would not come. He’s funny that way. I have never known him to sleep in anybody else’s cabin. If he can’t get home he sleeps out-of-doors.”
“Where is his cabin?” Scott asked. “I must go and see him.”
Sewall hesitated. “He does not usually like to have people come to his cabin.”
“But can’t you see that if he got into this trouble on my account I must see him at once.”
“Well,” Sewall admitted reluctantly. “I reckon he would not mind seeing you. His cabin is away up there on top of Jones’ Knob. The trail turns off this road about a half mile above here. It’s not very plain but I guess you can find it.”
Scott took a hasty leave of Sewall and started in search of the trail. Sewall told the truth when he said that it was not very plain. Scott looked for it closely, but he passed it and had to come back in his search. He finally found a faint trace and followed it up over little ridges and down into the draws for an hour, always drawing a little closer to the peak. When he came out in the little flat opening on the top there was no cabin to be seen. He had never been there before but he knew that this was Jones’ Knob, and yet there was no cabin.
Scott looked carefully around him and there on the edge of the clearing he discovered a tiny cabin nestled back in the edge of the spruce thicket. He hurried over to it and looked eagerly in the open door. There was a man lying on the bed, but at first Scott did not recognize him as Hopwood till he saw the iron hat lying on his chest. He appeared to be asleep.
It was the first time Scott had ever seen Hopwood without his iron hat, and he took the opportunity to study him carefully. He was amazed at the high, well-formed forehead and fine features. The blank expression which he always wore when awake was entirely gone now. He seemed to feel that some one was staring at him and moved uneasily.
As Scott did not want Hopwood to discover him there and think that he had been spying on him he knocked softly.