12 WILD BROTHER 



up to their waists. But finally they trod it down 

 with their heavy stamping shoes. 



Our horses strained their shoulders into their col- 

 lars, plunged out to the side of the road, and stood 

 belly-deep while one by one our new friends 

 crawled by. 



Fortune favored us that day, for on one of 

 the sleds as a passenger was a young man who had 

 left Gordon's camp early that morning. For two 

 dollars and other valuable considerations he agreed 

 to show us the way in to the bear, one of the other 

 considerations being that he should be taken back 

 to the village that night. The boss had given him 

 a few days off, and he had not been at home for a 

 month. 



Within half an hour we met the other teams. 

 Again mention of the little bear helped us. When 

 the men learned of my errand, they willingly set to 

 work, though we were not so fortunate in our 

 meeting-place, as several trees had to be cut and 

 hauled out of the way before the snow was tramped 

 down and we could pass. 



Without our pilot we should have had hard work 

 in finding our way to Gordon's camp, as there 

 were many roads that led to the right and left from 

 the main line. We made good progress now over 

 the smooth, beaten track. There is great exhilara- 

 tion in a sleigh-ride over a lumber road in mid- 



