"
"But don't you see," insisted Milton, "I'm imperilling all your lives.
Without me, you could have made twice the distance you did to-day."
"That's probably true," agreed Enoch. "What of it? Would you leave me
in your fix, thinking you might bring help back?"
"That's different! You're a tenderfoot and I'm not. Moreover, greater
care on my part would probably have prevented this whole series of
accidents."
"Now you are talking nonsense!" Enoch threw another log on the fire.
"Your illness is undermining your common sense, Milton. We've got a
tough few days ahead of us but we'll tackle it together. If we fail we
fail together. But I can see no reason why if we run as few risks as
we did to-day, we should get into serious trouble. We're going to lose
strength for lack of food, so we've got to move more and more slowly
and carefully, and we'll be feeling weak and done up when we reach the
Ferry. But I anticipate nothing worse than that."
Milton sighed and was silent, for a time. Then he said, "I could have
managed Forr and Harden better, if I'd been willing to believe they
were the pair of kids they proved to be. As it is--"
"As it is," interrupted Enoch, firmly, "both chaps are learning a
lesson that will probably cure them for all time of their foolishness.
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