“You’ve done what?” cried Serge.
“Adopted him. That is, you see I promised my aunt Ruth to bring her something from Alaska that was unique in the way of a curio, and it seems to me that Nel-te here will please her about as well as anything. Don’t you think so?”
“Perhaps so,” assented Serge, doubtfully. “But was his father willing that you should have him?”
“Oh yes, perfectly. That is, you know, he is dead, and so is the mother; but I promised her to take care of the little chap, and as there wasn’t anything else to be done, why, here we are.”
“Of course it’s all right if you say so,” agreed Serge, “and I don’t care, so long as you are safe, if you carry a whole tribe back to your aunt Ruth; but now don’t you think we’d better be getting along to camp? It was all I could do to persuade Mr. Coombs to stay behind and look out for things; he is so anxious. The only way I could induce him to stay was by suggesting that you might come in tired and hungry, and would feel awfully if no one was there to welcome you. But he is liable to set out on a hunt for you at any moment.”
“Certainly, we must get there as quickly as possible,” replied Phil. “How far is it?”
“Not more than one mile up the river from the mouth of this creek, which is only a few rods below here. But oh, Phil, to think that I have found you! When I had almost given up all hope of ever again seeing you alive, too. I have been down as far as our first camp on the river this morning, and this creek was my last hope. I wouldn’t have left the country without you, though, or at any rate without knowing what had become of you. Neither would Mr. Coombs. We settled that last night while we talked over what had best be done.”
“I was sure you wouldn’t, old fellow,” replied Phil, with something like a choke in his voice. “I knew that as well before you said it as I do now, and it was the thing that kept me up most of all.”
The two boys had so much to tell, and so many proofs of loving confidence to exchange, that, before they realized they were anywhere near camp they came upon it, and were hailed by Jalap Coombs, who almost hugged Phil in his revulsion of feeling and unaffected joy at the lad’s return.