“This view of the case, however, was but little relief to him, as his fears were no less on my account than on his own.
“Notwithstanding one or two such grim experiences, all went well with us till our journey was two-thirds done, and the hardest of the way lay behind us.
“Then, as we floundered one afternoon through a deadwood swamp, Mike slipped between two fallen trunks, and broke his left arm near the shoulder. This was a most unlooked-for blow, but the poor fellow bore it like a hero.
“With rude splints I set the arm and bandaged it; and after a day’s halt, I fixed him a sort of bed on the sledge, so that we were enabled to continue our journey.
“But now we were forced to make long detours, in order to avoid rough country.
“On the following morning, to our satisfaction, we came out upon a chain of lakes which promised us something like fair going for a while.
“In a sheltered place on the shore we found a rude cabin occupied by two hunters, who had their traps set in the surrounding woods. Neither the faces nor the manner of these men did I find prepossessing; but they received us hospitably, fed us well, and pressed us to stay with them over night.
“Not unnaturally, they were curious as to the motives of our strange journey, and before I could give him a hint of warning, my garrulous and fearless Mike had put them in possession of the whole story.
“The greedy look of intelligence which passed furtively between them upon learning we were on the way to purchase stores aroused all my suspicions, and set me sharply on my guard.
“Their hospitality now became doubly pressing. In fact, when they saw me bent on immediate departure, they grew almost threatening in their earnestness.