Do you?"
Whereupon I laughed harder, and this time he did too, a little.
Then he went on: "Oh, I just thought I was never going to see you
again. I'm never going to forget about it. I was thinking about
how you would feel when you knew you were lost. It is an awful
thing to be lost. If I had never been lost myself I wouldn't know
what it means to be lost. And what would we do if you got lost or
fell in that rapid? Just think what _could_ we do? Why, I could
never go back again. How could any of us go back without you? We
can't ever let you go any place alone after this."
Then after a thoughtful pause. "And to see you, too, the way you
look. Just as if you would never scare anybody."
When we reached camp it was growing dusk. Joe and Gilbert had just
finished putting up my tent. They, too, had been out on the ridge.
Though I could not help being amused at the unexpected success of
my little plan to be even with them for leaving me alone in the
storm, I was really sorry. I had not meant to frighten them so
much. They were all very quiet, their faces, with the exception of
Gilbert's, were distinctly pale, and hands trembled visibly. The
brandy bottle had but once before been out, but that night, when my
bags were brought in, I handed it to George, that they might have a
bracer, and be able to eat supper.
