“That would depend very much upon what you yourself said, I reckon. If I remember right, that’s the way it was before, wasn’t it? If you had kept quiet Kit Carson would have been quiet, too.” “I hear he has married a squaw,” suggested Rat. “You can hear all sorts of things.” “Did he?” “Yes. He’s not ashamed of it.” “Perhaps she’ll be when he runs off and leaves her.” “I advise you not to suggest that thing to Kit Carson the next time you see him. You’ll have more than a lame wrist to show for it if you do.” “He took me off my guard,” protested Rat. “I wasn’t ready for him.” “That wasn’t any fault of yours. He caught you before you could get ready. You were doing your best to get the drop on him.” “That’s a lie!” shouted Rat. “I wasn’t doing anything of the kind! But then,” he added a moment later, his voice becoming lower, though it was plain that he had regained his self-control only by a great effort, “but then I have no desire to quarrel with Kit Carson nor any one in the camp. I would like to be friends with all, if they’d let me.” “Do you mean you want to come back to camp?” inquired Reuben. “Yes.” The lad whistled and made no response until Rat said: “Don’t you think they would let me come?” “If you will promise to be on your good behaviour, they’ll be glad to have you come. They wouldn’t have you there a minute, though, if you tried the trick you did before.” “I haven’t any trick to try. I’m hungry and I’m tired. If they’ll give me some supper and let me spend the night in camp, that’s all I want. I’ll leave to-morrow morning if they want me to. If they will let me, though, I’ll stay and do my share, and be glad to do it.” “I can’t say what they’ll do. The only thing for you to do is to try it.” “Maybe you’ll go ahead and find out for me?” suggested Rat, his voice becoming almost a whine in his eagerness. “No, come along. Go back up the stream about a mile and you’ll find a place where you can jump across. If you want to you can come over on this bank now.” “I don’t want to,” said Rat quickly, glancing at the rushing torrent, as if it was threatening him. “I’ll walk back up the bank and wait for you. How long will you be?” “I don’t know,” said Reuben. “I wasn’t coming back this way anyway. I’m going to visit the traps and set them. I have brought bait with me and I’ll fix every trap before I leave.” “Would you like to have me help you?” inquired Rat, striving to speak pleasantly. Reuben hesitated a moment and then said: “Yes. You had better come across here, though, and not wait to go back up the stream.”