"Come here!" commanded Mr. Jessup, and then, as the groan sounded again, he went forward. Parting the bushes he looked ahead and cried out:
"Boys, it's Mr. Addison—the hermit, and he seems to have fallen and hurt himself! Come here and we'll help him!"
The three rushed forward. There on the ground, under the bushes, where there was no snow, lay the old man. He seemed to be unconscious and it was his queer breathing that made the groaning sound.
"Boys, see if you can't get him out of there, into a more comfortable place," said Mr. Jessup. "I'll run to the cabin for a folding stretcher I have, and I'll also get some medicine. See if you can get him out. I'll be back in a few minutes."
CHAPTER XIV THE BOILING SPRING
Mr. Addison was a full-grown man, but he was quite old, and not very heavy. In fact he was so light that the three sturdy boy chums easily carried him out from under the bushes to a cleared place along the path. The hermit only moaned as he was moved, and remained unconscious.
"Let us take off our coats, fellows," suggested Sammy. "We'll spread them out on the snow, and make a bed for him."
The day was quite warm, so the boys would not be likely to take cold from removing their coats, and soon they had made a more comfortable place for the aged man than the bare ground on which he had fallen.