Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/226

 groaned aloud in sympathy with himself and dropped on a bed of moss at one side.

In an amazing short space of time, considering the distance covered, Bub bounded into view, waving his hands in exultation.

“Gim’me ’em!” snapped Abner, clawing hungrily for the cartridges. Then as he rapidly slipped them into the magazine of both guns he threw back his shoulders and became a new man. The hunted look vanished from his eyes and his mouth straightened in grim determination.

“Now,” he hoarsely announced, slouching his hat forward, “we’ll pay a call to Mister Nick and we’ll present a card for every one he sends to us. Come on, my son.”

“If he has hurt Stanley, I’ll kill him,” savagely declared Bub.

“Quit that!” sharply directed Abner. “’Course he ain’t hurt him. He ain’t even found him. Why! if he has hurt him I’d foller him to Alaska. Now, double quick, or we won’t git to him before night.”

“We won’t be able to return to the warden’s to-night after finding Stanley,” said Bub, breaking into a trot and moving as if it were his first journey in days.

“We don’t want to,” replied Abner. “Now