They all sat down and exchanged experiences. Bill told them he had stopped at the cabin the day before to stay until the storm passed, and Ben had told him they were lost. When they failed to appear that night, the two woodsmen became much worried, but decided they could do nothing until daylight.
He and Ben had been out since the first hint of dawn. Bill complimented the lads for their good sense displayed in building the lean-to and camping for the night.
The trapper signaled Ben, and finally got an answer. Then they rose and set out for the cabin. The snow was not so deep as the boys expected to find it, and they had no difficulty in traveling through it without snowshoes.
They reached the cabin, to find Ben awaiting them with a good hot meal already prepared. The guide, like Bill, seemed much pleased with the conduct of the boys in taking care of themselves, and, much to their delight, declared them full-fledged woodsmen.
Bill and Ben sat up until late that night talking of the arrival of the wild dogs. The lads were eager listeners, and when the two old hunters declared they would run down and destroy the outlaw pack, Ed and George determined to be in the hunting party.
XIII
ON THE TRAP LINE WITH BILL
Bill delighted the boys by inviting them to his cabin to spend a few weeks on the trap line. They promptly accepted. They bade Ben farewell, and cautioned him to take good care of the owl, which they had christened “Old Snowball.” Then they fastened on their snowshoes, shouldered their packs, and started off with their rifles in quest of new adventures.
They followed the trapper over several miles of trail before he called a halt for the noonday meal. He made a fire and boiled some coffee, which accompanied crisp bacon from the little frying-pan and home-made biscuits.
Then they went on. It was not long before Moze dashed away noisily on the trail of a fox. The boys were for following him. Bill laughed and told them to wait until they reached his trapping-grounds, when they would have many such chances to stretch their legs.