d of him in the Red River
Prairies, where he is held to be a giant who devours men as well as
brutes. As I came nearer to the Missouri, I found that the people there
do not believe him to be either a cannibal or a giant, but assert that
he is an enormously tall and powerful man, exceedingly fierce, and the
sworn enemy of the whole human race; a species of Cain, whose hand is
against every man, and every man's hand against him. The last white man
I met--about two weeks ago--told me he had been with a tribe of Indians,
some of whom had seen him, and they said that he was indeed awfully
wild, but that he was not cruel--on the contrary, he had been known to
have performed one or two kind deeds to some who had fallen into his
power."

"Most extonishin'!" exclaimed Gibault, who sat open-mouthed and
open-eyed listening to this account of the Wild Man of the West.

For some time the party round the camp fire sat smoking in silence,
ruminating on what had been said. Then Big Waller broke the silence
with one of his abrupt questions--

"But, I say, stranger, _how_ did you come here?"

Bertram looked up without speaking. Then, settling himself comfortably
in a reclining position, with his back against a tree, he said--

"I will relieve your curiosity. Listen: I am, as I have said, an
Englishman. My father and mother are dead. I have no brothers or
sisters, and but few relations. Possessing, as I do, a small
independence, I am not obliged to work for my living. I have therefore
come to the conclusion that it is my duty to work for my fellow-men. Of
course, I do not mean to deny that every man who works for his living,
works also for his fellow-men. What I mean is, that I hold myself bound
to apply myself to such works as other men have not leisure to
undertake, and the profit of which will go direct to mankind without
constituting my livelihood on its passage. To open up the unknown
wilderness has ever been my ambition. For that purpose I have come to
these wild regions. My enthusiasm on quitting my native land was
unbounded. But--"

Here Bertram paused and gazed dreamily at the glowing embers of the camp
fire with an expression that led the trappers to infer that experience
had somewhat moderated his enthusiasm. After a few minutes he
resumed:--

"I have done wrong to make this venture alone. On reaching Canada I
succeeded, through the kindness of the governor of the Hudson's Bay
Company, in obtaining a p