At the sight of her son, the mother forgot everything else. Dropping her rifle to the ground, she ran forward with the exclamation: "Wharton! my darling boy!" "Oh, mother, my dearest mother!" The lad, equally forgetful, flung aside his weapon and met his beloved parent more than half way, throwing his arms about her neck, while both wept with joy. The father smilingly advanced, and waited until the youth was released. Then he clasped the boy to his breast with a happiness and gratitude as deep and all-pervading, though it was less demonstrative. Larry stepped blushingly forward, when the way was clear, and was warmly greeted in turn by the parents, for he held a warm place in their hearts. He was a dutiful and respectable youth, who appreciated the unselfish goodness those people had always shown to him. Even the grim, iron-hearted scout betrayed a suspicious moisture of the eyes at the affecting scene. He looked on in silence, while Red Crow gazed off among the trees as though he saw something that interested him. What strange musings coursed through that warped brain is beyond the power of fancy to imagine. "This 'ere looks sorter like a family reunion," remarked Kenton, with a smile, when the first flurry was over; "I shouldn't wonder now, Brigham, if you and Margaret thar are summat glad to see the younkers agin." "Indeed, I shall always thank heaven for its mercies. Wife and I did not sleep a wink last night after we learned how bad things looked, and nothing could have kept us from hurrying to them." "And how about you chaps?" asked the scout, turning toward the two happy boys. "Neither of us can express our thankfulness," replied Wharton; "we have seen a good deal of trouble during the last few days, but our suffering all the time had been about them." "Yis," added Larry with a sigh; "it was mesilf that had not only them to think about, but Whart was on me hands, too, and thare was times whin I was ready to give up entirely." "Well, Simon," said the head of the family, "we've had good fortune so far, but I have had enough experience to know that we are not out of the woods yet." "Not by a long shot," was the expressive comment. "How do things look to you?" "Yer see that Blazing Arrer and one of his varmints has gone ahead and across the clearin' out yender. They know that we have started to round this part of the trail with the idee of comin' back agin beyend whar they're watchin' for us." "And they will try to prevent us doing so?" "That's it, and it's goin' to be a tough job, with the hosses to take care of." "I've been thinking lately that the only safe plan is to abandon the animals and push on ourselves." "That will give us the best show, thar's no doubt about that; but I hate powerfully to let the varmints get ahead of us, even as much as that."