Tad, at the first call, looked; then, dropping his axe, he ran to the guide and grasped his hand, while two boys were tugging at the other hand on the opposite side of the horse.
"How is your foot?" asked Ned.
"It is better."
"Why did you come here? You didn't hope to find us in this place, did you!" questioned Tad shrewdly.
"To tell the truth, I did," answered Cale.
"Then you heard?"
"I heard last night that they had Mr. Stacy in limbo for killing that moose, so I started out right away. I rode most of the night from my home and I'm here. How did you get off?"
"Stacy was fined one hundred dollars and costs, Mr. Vaughn. The costs amounted to twenty-eight dollars and a half. What do you think of that?"
"What does this mean?" demanded Cale when the two were out of range of the others.
"Oh, we are filling in a little time," answered Tad carelessly.