“Na, she tidn’t see the tog since she rin after a teer. She wass going ferry fast, an’ she forgot all spout the tog after. She hopes the tog isna lost.”
“No fear! Skeny will find his way back. Oh, how stiff and sore I am! Hark!”
There was a faint whistle from the distance, and Watty leaped up, and, thrusting his fingers into his mouth, blew an answer.
A couple of minutes later, as the boys stood watching in the direction from which the sound had come, they made out three figures on the slope of the mountain. Then these three figures stopped, and began to wave their caps, and directly after they broke into a trot, and were soon up by the fire.
“Steve, lad!” cried Captain Marsham. “Thank God, you are safe!”
“Where have you been, boy?” cried the doctor joyfully, as he wrung the hand the captain had left at liberty. “Why, you have made me a job. Get some water, my lad,” he continued to Watty, and laying down his gun he began to take out a pocket-book to get sticking-plaster and scissors.
“I’m very glad, Mr Steve,” said Johannes quietly. “We thought you were lost.”
While the doctor washed away the marks left by Steve’s fall and carefully applied sticking-plaster the boy told his adventure, Watty listening again attentively, and now watching the speaker, now the mountain-side, in full expectation of seeing the bear make its appearance from one of the gullies; but there was no interruption, and they heard all.
“You must not leave your friends again, my lad,” said the captain. “We must all be ready to help each other; co-operation is power. Well, how do you feel now?”
“So stiff I can hardly move,” replied Steve.