Seven days had passed when the monotony of his existence was broken by the arrival of strangers. It was in the afternoon that he heard voices and the sound of horses from the direction of the trail, and a minute later saw two young fellows ride up, followed by a dozen pack animals. "Hello!" exclaimed the foremost rider as he saw David, "this place has changed hands, I guess, since we was here last. How d'you do? Hovey and Herrick gone away?" "Yes," answered David. "They left for the Kah Sha River a week ago. You've been here before?" "Oh, yes! We're packing back and forth between Pyramid Harbor and Five Finger Rapids for the owner of these horses. We always like to put up here for the night, for it's pretty lonesome on this trail." "That's so," said David, feelingly. He, too, was not a little pleased at the thought of company, and the more so in the present instance, because the new-comers were near his own age. The elder was slender, with dark hair and a rather sparse growth of beard, and might have been twenty-two or three, while the other was a ruddy, plump lad of about seventeen. "My name's Close," said the dark-haired one, as he dismounted and proceeded to unsaddle his horse. "We're from Wisconsin." In return for this information David gave his own name and residence. The Wisconsin boys took the packs from their horses and turned them loose to graze. "Now for supper," said Close. "You'll find a stove and dishes and a table, such as it is, in the cook-tent yonder," said David, hospitably. "I guess you know your way around. Just make yourselves at home, and I'll have the fire going in a jiffy." It took the strangers but a short time to cook their evening meal, and as soon as they had finished with the stove David prepared his own supper, and the three sat down together. "Can you spare us enough butter for our bread?" asked Close. "We're all out." "Yes," said David, passing it over, "help yourself." He knew there were but two more cans in the cache under his charge, but he felt certain the captain would wish him to extend such hospitalities as lay in his power; and he would much rather have gone without butter himself for a time than deny it to his guests. They, however, had no intention of trenching on David's slender stock without returning an equivalent. "You don't seem to have any condensed milk," observed the younger of the two. "No," said David. "There isn't a drop. I've looked the whole cache over for it." "Well, here! You just take what you want out of our can. We've got milk if we haven't got butter. Try some of that dried fruit, too." Having thanked his friends, David inquired if the trail was in good shape. He was thinking that before long he would be tramping back over it. "Yes," answered Close, "most of it's good; but there's some bad bogs where the horses get mired. Those cattle herds have cut it all to pieces where the ground is soft. We haven't had much trouble, though."