"Get out of that, you big tow-head!" he cried with an oath.

A dozen Canada jays, fluffy, impatient, perched near by or made
little short circles over and back. They awaited the remains of
the dinner. Bob Stratton and a devil-may-care giant by the name of
Nolan constructed a joke wherewith to amuse the interim. They cut a
long pole, and placed it across a log and through a bush, so that
one extremity projected beyond the bush. Then diplomacy won a piece
of meat from the cookee. This they nailed to the end of the pole by
means of a pine sliver. The Canada jays gazed on the morsel with
covetous eyes. When the men had retired, they swooped. One big
fellow arrived first, and lit in defiance of the rest.

"Give it to 'im!" whispered Nolan, who had been watching.

Bob hit the other end of the pole a mighty whack with his ax. The
astonished jay, projected straight upward by the shock, gave a
startled squawk and cut a hole through the air for the tall timber.
Stratton and Nolan went into convulsions of laughter.

"Get at it!" cried the cookee, as though setting a pack of dogs on
their prey.

The men ate, perched in various attitudes and places. Thorpe found
it difficult to keep warm. The violent exercise had heated him
through, and now the north country cold penetrated to his bones.
He huddled close to the fire, and drank hot tea, but it did not do
him very much good. In his secret mind he resolved to buy one of
the blanket mackinaws that very evening. He began to see that the