some wood for the fire that sadly 

 needed replenishing, though no one 

 had offered to lift an axe. 



Bobbie went from red to white 

 with anger. He opened his mouth 

 to speak and shut it again tight. It 

 was unthinkable that these men 

 would leave us stranded here in the 

 woods and with women in the party 

 too, and yet that ugly sullen silence 

 was ominous. 



Fortunately, our mountebank of 

 a camp boy now came along puffing 

 vociferously, like an engine blowing 

 off steam. As usual' he was pre- 

 paring a dramatic entrance. Down 

 came the pack with a great 

 flourish. 



"Zere! Zat is ze last ounce that 

 goes on Nat Creche' s back to-night. 

 Not if you was ze Gabriel Angel or 

 ze devil himself! Zere's man's 

 work and zere is horse's work. I'll 

 be no mule for any body. I'll give 

 you a day's work, yes and two days' 

 work but I won't be a pack horse, 

 not if I know it. I'll kit the trail 

 -first! And the boys are with me 



One by one they nodded. There 

 it was, out mutiny. Our host's 



