—<<{ TO CARIBOO AND BACK }--

saw a horrid-looking mess of cut-up strips that
suggested worms.

“Moccasin stew,” said the man briefly. “It’s
' my second and last moccasin.”

They observed then that he was barefoot
except for some shreds of rags tied around his
feet. Tales of men keeping alive on saddle-
bags and moccasins had been told them, but
the boys had not expected to see any one in the
act of doing it, and that near a camp of more
than a thousand souls. They looked their hor-
ror and surprise.

But in a minute Bully Jim began to grin
broadly.

“Chuck it out!” he told the starving man.
“We've got two deer outside. Venison steak
beats moccasin stew hollow!”

“Ah,” said the man, “I agree with you and
thank you for the suggestion. And believe me
I’d have tried for the deer myself, for you can
often get them in weather like this, if I’d had so
much as a single charge of shot. But my last
ammunition went long ago, and even the fish
have refused to bite of late.”

It wasn’t very long before some of the deer’s
meat had taken the place of the old moccasin in

[187]

Aina DOO cB Sn aR Pesce Rectan Ne nies inne eer
ire Bah BUN se

Saree nach seer teen
a
Se ee

MLN EN ttt CR GN ere
ee og ee

oo

sresinetninrs ane

SH ga amt