To The West Part 60

"You can't do better than go back to the river," said the stranger.

"I'll set you on your way. Mike, help him carry the deer-meat."

The man took one of the packages, thrust the barrel of his rifle through the deerskin thongs, and placed it on his shoulder, while the new-comer asked me for my pole, thrust it through the other, and Gunson and I took an end each, for I would not let our guide carry it.

"Where are you from last?" said the stranger.

I waited for Gunson to speak, but as he did not, I said that we had tramped up by the river.

"All the way from the sea, eh?" said the stranger, looking me over as I examined him and thought what a strong, keen, clever-looking man he seemed.

"Yes; all the way from the sea."

"And what are you going to do at Fort Elk, eh?"

Gunson looked round at him sharply.

"Well?" said the stranger, meeting Gunson's look firmly.

"Only going to ask you if you were an American from down coast."

"No, I am an Englishman like yourself. Why?"

"Because you ask questions like a Yankee commercial traveller--drummers don't they call them?"

"Yes, I think so," said the stranger, quietly. "I always do ask questions when I want to know anything."

"Good way," said Gunson, gruffly; and it was very plain that they two would not be very good friends.

"Do you know Mr Daniel Raydon at the Fort?" I asked, to change the conversation, which was growing ticklish.

"Oh yes, I know him."

"He is the chief officer there, isn't he?" I continued eagerly, as I seemed now to see the end of my journey.

"Yes; he's head man, my lad."

"What sort of a person is he?"

"Humph! Well, how am I to describe him? What do you mean? His looks?"

"Yes; and altogether what sort of a man is he?"

"As far as appearance goes, about such a man as I am. Stern, determined sort of fellow, my lad; accustomed to deal with the Indians. Bit of a hunter--naturally from living in these parts; bit of a gardener, and botanist, and naturalist; done a little in minerals and metals too," he continued, turning to Gunson. "Sort of man to talk to you, sir, as I see you are prospecting--for gold, I suppose?"

"You can suppose what you like," said Gunson, drily. "This is a free country, I believe. I never heard that Government interfered with people for looking up the place."

"Oh no; it's free to a certain extent, but we settlers who are fixed here like to know what perfect strangers are about."

"Look here," said Gunson, "I always make a point of keeping my business to myself. Do you want to quarrel with me?"

"By no means," said the stranger, smiling. "I think the disposition to be quarrelsome is more on your side. I merely asked you a few plain questions, such as you would have asked me if our positions had been reversed. Suppose you had marked down a deer, being a resident here, and came out for it and found a stranger--"

"Poaching," said Gunson, mockingly.

"No; we have no game laws here, sir--had bagged your deer, and when you came up to him, wis.h.i.+ng to be civil, and offer him the hospitality one Englishman should offer to another in this out-of-the-way corner of the world, he cut up rough with you, as I think, on consideration, you must own you have done with me. What then?"

I glanced from one to the other, ready to appeal to Gunson, for he seemed to me to be horribly in the wrong.

There was a great difference in them, and it seemed to me to be very marked just then; the stranger so tall, commanding, and dignified, in spite of his rough hunting-dress, his eyes keen and flas.h.i.+ng, and his well-cut features seeming n.o.ble by comparison with Gunson's, whose care-lined and disfigured face, joined with his harsh, abrupt way, made him quite repellent.

But just as I was antic.i.p.ating quite an explosion of anger, I saw his face change, and grow less lurid. He looked frankly in the stranger's face, took off his hat, and I felt that it was a gentleman speaking, as, in quite an altered tone, he said simply--

"I beg your pardon. I was quite in the wrong."

"Hah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the stranger, "that is enough;" and he held out his hand. "There's a ring of dear old England and good society in that, sir. Welcome to these wilds. It is a treat to have a visitor who can talk about the old country. It's many years since I have seen it. And you?"

"Oh, we were there seven or eight months ago," said Gunson, quietly; and as we walked on, and our new friend plied him with questions about London, the Government, and the changes that had taken place, always carefully avoiding any allusions to the object of our visit to the north-west land, it seemed to me that I was listening to quite a different man to the rough prospector, and I fancied that the stranger was noticing that Gunson was not the sort of man he seemed.

It was so pleasant to listen to the converse of these two gentlemanly, well-informed speakers, that the distance seemed quite short back to where Esau was lying down idly throwing stones in the river, while Quong had the kettle boiling, and, as soon as he caught sight of us, came running up to seize upon one of the packs of deer-meat, and trot off with it.

"Useful sort of fellow, that," said the stranger, nodding at Quong as he ran on before us. "Good cook, I suppose?"

"Excellent," replied Gunson. "You had better stop and have a bit of dinner with us. He'll have a steak ready in a few minutes."

"With all my heart. Mike, you have some cake in your wallet."

"Yes, sir," said the man respectfully; and I saw Gunson's one eye turn to him sharply.

"We can easily walk to the Fort in an hour afterwards," said the stranger.

"And do you live near?" I said, eagerly.

"Yes, very near," he replied, smiling.

"It's very lucky we met you," I said, "for we had no idea how far we were off. Here, hi! Esau!" I shouted, as soon as we were within earshot, for he was coming towards us now in a slow, hesitating way.

"This is my companion who has come with me."

"Friend or brother?"

"Friend," I said; and I was going to say more, but I caught Gunson's eye, and it seemed to suggest that I was talking too fast.

In less than half an hour we were partaking of the hot juicy steaks which Quong brought round to us on the point of his knife, and was.h.i.+ng it down with hot tea, while the stranger and Gunson chatted away about the sport to be had in that part of the country, filling my head with eager hopes of partaking therein, as I heard of the different kinds of game and deer, some of which were of huge size--elk and moose as high as horses, which were shot in the winter.

It soon became evident that our new acquaintance was a keen sportsman, but he talked in quite an easy modest way of what he had done, and at last I felt obliged to join in, telling of our adventures with the bears, and asking if he had seen or shot any.

"Several," he said. "Many, I may say, but of course spread over a long stay here. I can show you their heads and skins. I generally save them. That man Michael Grey is a clever hunter, and an admirable skin-dresser."

"Are the bears very dangerous?"