“Then we saw you, but we never thought it was you.  Then Joe said:  ‘Why, it’s a woman.’  Then we only knew it was you.  Even then we could not believe it was you.  Who ever would think to see you and the little short steps that you could go away there, and so quick too.  Why, we couldn’t believe it.  The men got on to me too.  They said they never saw anything like the way you do.  They said they had been on lots of trips before, and where there were women too, and they, said to me they never were on a trip before where the women didn’t do what they were told.”

I laughed again, which George seemed to think was very hard-hearted.  He looked quite as if he could not understand such callousness, and said:  “Yes; you don’t care a bit.  Do you?” Whereupon I laughed harder, and this time he did too, a little.

Then he went on:  “Oh, I just thought I was never going to see you again.  I’m never going to forget about it.  I was thinking about how you would feel when you knew you were lost.  It is an awful thing to be lost.  If I had never been lost myself I wouldn’t know what it means to be lost.  And what would we do if you got lost or fell in that rapid?  Just think what could we do?  Why, I could never go back again.  How could any of us go back without you?  We can’t ever let you go any place alone after this.”

Then after a thoughtful pause.  “And to see you, too, the way you look.  Just as if you would never scare anybody.”

When we reached camp it was growing dusk.  Joe and Gilbert had just finished putting up my tent.  They, too, had been out on the ridge.

Though I could not help being amused at the unexpected success of my little plan to be even with them for leaving me alone in the storm, I was really sorry.  I had not meant to frighten them so much.  They were all very quiet, their faces, with the exception of Gilbert’s, were distinctly pale, and hands trembled visibly.  The brandy bottle had but once before been out, but that night, when my bags were brought in, I handed it to George, that they might have a bracer, and be able to eat supper.

Later on I was to learn that the game had not yet been played out.  Again the joke was on me.

They drank it all!

CHAPTER IX

MOUNT HUBBARD AND WINDBOUND LAKE

The day following no one was astir early.  I think no one slept much.  I could hear from the other tent the low hum of the men’s voices far into the night.  Mosquitoes kept me awake.  About 2 A.M.  I got up, lighted my candle, and killed all I could find, and after that I had a little peace, but did not sleep much.  It was then growing light.