Slowly Charley and his friend made their way along the fire trail toward the highway and safety, Charley assisting the ranger as much as possible.  The latter began to suffer great pain in his arm and the limb started to swell.  Meantime, the forester, with a physician and a helper, was racing at top speed to reach the ranger.  At a pace utterly reckless he drove his car over the forest road, and the instant the rescue party arrived at the point where Charley and Mr. Morton would reach the highway, they plunged into the forest.  Faster than he had ever raced to a forest fire, the forester sped along the trail, his companions striving doggedly to keep up with him.  He was deep in the woods before he met Charley and the ranger.

With hand extended, the forester ran to his ranger.  Their hands met in a tight clasp.  “How is it, Jim?” asked the forester, with anxious eyes.

“I’m all right,” rejoined the ranger.  “I’ll pull out of this all O.K.  That snake got me right, though.  If it hadn’t been for Charley here, I don’t know how I would have made out.  He’s as good as a doctor.”

By this time the doctor himself had come up, puffing too hard for words.  He nodded his head, clasped the ranger’s hand, and with a single word of greeting quickly began an examination of the injured arm.  “How long ago did this happen?” he puffed.

“More than two hours ago,” said the ranger.

“You haven’t kept these tight all that time, have you?” and the doctor laid his finger on one of the cords around the ranger’s arm.

“No, sir.  Charley had me loosen them, one at a time, every twenty minutes or so.”

“That was quite right.  What else have you done?”

When the ranger had told him in detail exactly how Charley had treated him, the doctor grunted, “Confound it!  Then what did you hustle me out here this way for?  I thought you were at the point of death.”

Charley was amazed and offended at what he considered the heartlessness of the physician.  “You don’t understand,” he protested.  “Mr. Morton was badly bitten, sir.”

Charley was still more astonished when both the ranger and the forester burst out laughing.  He looked from one to the other questioningly.  It did not occur to him that this was merely the doctor’s way of saying that Charley had handled the situation about as well as he could have done it himself.  Evidently the forester did not propose to enlighten Charley, for all he said was, “Don’t let him worry you, Charley.  He’s just naturally lazy and a grouch.  He doesn’t like it because I made him hustle for once, and he’s disappointed not to find Jim at the point of death.  These doctors are strange animals, Charley.  But with all their faults we love them still.”  And he slapped the physician affectionately on the shoulder.

Charley looked puzzled.  But concluding that silence was the best course, he said no more.  All this time the doctor was continuing his labors, and Charley was amazed at the dexterous way he did things.