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Show 16 z. Bill started xrashing up some of the baby's clothes. It alxrays seemed easier, he thought, to have something to xrork at xrhile you xrere xrorrying; just hoxr xras he going to get L i t t le Bill to sxialloxr quinine again? The baby's face and arms xrere s t i l l flushed and hot, and noxr he could hear a l i t t l e noise in his throat. He sat doxm close to him trying to figure xrhat to do about the noise in his throat - j u s t don't knoxr enough': about babies he said to himself, but I ' l l learn. He got a pan of cool xrater and, as he noxr had the cabin very xrarm, he uncovered one side of L i t t l e Bill and cooled it xrith a cloth xrrung from the xrater- He xras friBghtened at hoxr quickly the cool cloth xrould become xrarm, almost hot, after he'd smoothed i t over his thigh and leg. Bill had helped man^ a miner through a bout of xrhat the Californians called ed ague, but never a child, and he necd/Olaf. He xrent to the door of the lean-to and opened i t . He held his candle over so i t s light f e l l on Olaf. He looked pale and so deep in sleep that Bill closed the door quietly and sat doxm again by L i t t l e B i l l . He put his face softly against L i t t l e B i l l ' s and thought he might be a l i t t l e cooler noxr. Bill hung the clothes he'd xrashed on the s t r e t c h e r ; - = Z B nm ^then cut himself some thin slices of bear meat. He sprinkled salt over i t, and a t e i t sloxrly. I t had been over txro weeks since he'd tasted meat, and, strong as this xras, he relished i t as though i t xrere T-bone |