NEXT morning, as soon as they had finished their breakfast, in accordance with the promise they had made their parents before starting, that they would be at home before the holidays, the boys began to make preparations to leave the woods. The sled was brought around to the door, and, while George and Harry¹ were engaged in loading it, Frank and his cousin went to the barn to harness the young moose, which had become very tractable², and would trot³ off with a load as well as a horse. Their traps and guns, together with the furs they had taken, were stowed carefully away in the bottom of the sled; then came the cubs⁴, and the skins of the moose, bear, white buck⁵, and panther, and the whole was crowned by the huge antlers of the moose, to give it, as Harry said, “an imposing⁶ appearance.”
 
After the moose had been hitched⁷ to the sled, and all was ready for the start, the boys turned to shake hands with Uncle Joe and the trapper. Dick seemed to regret their parting very much. After drawing his coat-sleeve across his eyes, he seized Frank’s hand, and said:
 
“Good-by, youngster! We have had some good times in these yere woods this winter. I’m sorry that the partin’ time has come, for I hate to have you leave us. You are a gritty feller—jest sich a one as I like to see; an’ I have tuk to you jest the same as poor ole Bill Lawson onct tuk to me. As soon as spring opens I shall start agin for the prairy. The woods here are too small for me. We prob’bly shall never meet agin, but I hope you won’t forget your ole friend, Dick Lewis. Good-by! an’ may your trail never be as rugged⁸ an’ rough as mine has been.”
 
“I shall never forget you, Dick,” replied Frank, as he returned the trapper’s hearty⁹ grasp. “You saved my life.”
 
At length the farewells had all been said, and the boys got into the sled. Frank took up the reins¹⁰, and the moose broke into a rapid trot, that soon carried them out of sight of the cabin.
 
There was no danger that the boys would soon forget the wild scenes through which they had passed during their short sojourn¹¹ in the woods. Each had something to remind him of some exciting hunt which he had gone through. Frank thought of his desperate struggle with the buck, during which he had received scars that would go with him through life. Harry remembered his adventure with the wolves. George shivered as he thought of his cold bath in the pond. And Archie, in imagination, was again in pursuit of the black fox.
 
“Well,” said the latter, at length, “we’ve had some fine times since we traveled over this road.”
 
“Yes,” said George, “and I should like to go through them again—ducking and all.”
 
“I had rather be excused,” said Frank.
 
“So had I,” chimed in Harry.
 
“I shouldn’t like the idea of going through the fight with that moose again,” continued Frank.
 
“Nor I shouldn’t like to meet those wolves again, and have............