“Well, sir,” said Bruce, “I will only say that if I had headed the party, with all my care, I should be very much farther to the right than you make it.” “So you think that we are now nearer to Scott’s Bay than to Hall’s Harbor?” “Very much nearer, sir,” said Bruce. The doctor said no more, but sat for a long time silently regarding his map. “Well,” said he, at last, “it seems to me to be a fair question. You, Bruce, have had very much experience in the woods; but then I rely on my own correctness. On the whole, I think it would be better for us now to divide ourselves into two parties. One party could go in the direction of Hall’s Harbor, the other towards Scott’s Bay. As you are an old hand in the woods, Bruce, I consider you quite fit to head one party, and try Scott’s Bay. For my part, I will take another party, and make for Hall’s Harbor. What do you say to that?” “O, no, sir,” said Bruce; “we won’t leave you. We’ll stay with you, and follow you wherever you go.” The doctor laughed. “O, nonsense!” said he. “If we were wandering in the forests of the Amazon valley, we might then make it a matter of duty to stand by one another; but these woods are only a small affair. By going in any direction, we must emerge from them before very long. Even if we were overtaken by the darkness, it would be no great hardship to pass the night here. We could make comfortable beds out of spruce boughs and fern. To tell the truth, roughing it in the bush has rather an attraction for me than otherwise; and I know your weakness, boys, in that respect. Besides, in two hours, at the very farthest, we’re sure to come out somewhere. If I thought that there was any danger, I would not think of separating you, but would guard you as carefully as possible. The most that can happen is some little inconvenience. So, Bruce, you may consider yourself the commander of the Scott’s Bay party. Who will be your followers?” “I,” said Bart, whose hesitation had been driven away by the doctor’s words. “I,” said Arthur. “And I,” said Tom. “And I,” said Phil. “Bedad, thin, an it’s mesilf that’ll jine that same,” said Pat, who preferred the comparative freedom that he would enjoy under Bruce to the restraint which he felt with the doctor. For the doctor, who, with the other boys, was a great favorite, and had won all their hearts by that boyish enthusiasm which age could never extinguish in him, and by his evident fellow-feeling and sympathy with them in all their joys and sorrows, was not so well known to Pat, and, in spite of his kindness to the poor Irish boy, still remained an object of grateful affection certainly, but yet one of extreme awe. So Pat elected to go with Bruce.