That done, he spilled the contents of his saddle-bags upon the grass and took stock.

His outfit consisted of a small-handled axe, a hunting-knife, a large number of cartridges for rifle or revolver, a tin plate, a cup, and a fork and spoon, a quantity of dried beef and dried fruits, and small canvas bags containing tea, sugar, salt, and pepper.

For him alone this supply would have been bountiful to begin a sojourn in the wilderness, but he was no longer alone.

Starvation in the uplands was not an unheard-of thing; he did not, however, worry at all on that score, and feared only his possible inability to supply the needs of a woman in a weakened and extremely delicate condition.
If there was no game in the valley--a contingency he doubted--it would not be a great task for him to go by night to Oldring's herd and pack out a calf.

The exigency of the moment was to ascertain if there were game in Surprise Valley.