“That’s it! That’s it!” Jeek replied enthusiastically. “These must be the animals that were in that fire.”
This appeared to be the only possible explanation, in view of the fact that no wolves of the kind were known to be in this particular section of the country.
“Well, which way are you fellows going? You can come back to our cabin and get warm, if you wish,” said Frank.
“Naw, we’re going right on to Todds. Might as well keep on. It ain’t much further than to go back to your cabin. Much obliged to you,” Jeek turned and started up the hill, leading his two cronies. The two tramps followed slowly behind them.
The four boys, again looking to see the animals, turned up the opposite hill, following the trail back to their own camp.
“Peculiar,” remarked Lanky. “Mighty peculiar. Here, we went through all sorts of trouble to capture those fellows. Then we sent them back toward civilization hating us, and we didn’t like them any too well, and then we rushed out here and saved them.”
“That’s the way things go, I guess,” replied Frank. “But we couldn’t do anything else, could we?”
The boys heartily agreed they could not. Not to have succored these men when the call came for help would have been a most inhuman thing, despite what they had done to the boys in the several days past.
More than an hour later, with the alarm clock pointing to an hour well past midnight, these four boys trudged up to the Parsons’ house, all lighted, with smoke pouring from the chimney, to find the other four sitting around the fire in various attitudes, all waiting for their return.
It took another hour to tell the story, to recite all the details, and to hear the questions which, quite naturally, were asked by those who had stayed on guard and had missed the adventure.