t so leisurely that they had
to paddle continuously to make any headway. With this handicap their
progress was slow, and it was not until the afternoon of the second day
that they began to see signs to hint that they were approaching the
settlements.

The signs were neither numerous nor indicative of any recent habitancy:
a few old clearings with their stumps weathered and rotting; here and
there a spot luxuriantly green to mark an area where slashings had been
burned; in one place a decaying runway to show where the logs had been
skidded into the river; all these proved that they were not pioneers;
but withal they saw no human being to dispute possession with them.

In the evening of this second day they camped on the right-hand bank a
short distance below one of the old clearings, kindling their night fire
a few yards from the river in a small grove of second-growth pines. The
place was not entirely to their liking; the river-bank was high, and
they could not draw the canoe out without partially unloading it. While
Lucetta was busying herself with the supper, Prime, as a precautionary
measure, made a porter of himself to the extent of carrying a good part
of the dunnage up to the fire, and after thus lightening the canoe he
hauled it out of water as far as the steep bank would permit.

While they were eating supper an unexpected guest turned up. Lucetta was
the first to hear the dip of a paddle in the stream, and a moment later
they both heard the grating of a boat bottom on the sand. Prime sprang
up, rifle in hand, and went to meet the newcomer, prepared to do battle
if needful. When he returned he was followed by a small man, dark,
bearded, and with bead-like black eyes roving and shifty. He was dressed
more like an Indian than a white man; there were fringes on his
moccasins and also on the belted coat, which was much the worse for wear
and hard usage.

"_Moi_, Jean Ba'tiste; I mek you de good evenin', _m'sieu' et madame_,"
he said, introducing himself brusquely, and as he spoke the roving eyes
were taking in every detail of the bivouac camp. Then, with no more ado,
he squatted beside the fire and became their supper guest, saying
simply: "You eat?--good; _moi_, I eat, too."

Since there seemed to be no question of ceremony, Prime made the guest
welcome, heaping his tin plate and pouring tea for him in the spare cup.
The small man ate as if he were half starved, and was saving of speech
during the process, tho