ow knows something about the Wild Man o' the West," said March
Marston in a low, eager tone, to his comrades. "Twice has he mentioned
his name since we arrived."

"So he has," observed Redhand, "but there may be other wild men besides
our one."

"Unpossible," said Bounce emphatically.

"Ditto," cried Waller still more emphatically; "what say you,
Hawkswing?"

"There is but one Wild Man of the West," replied the Indian.

"By the way, Hawkswing, what was the name o' the rascally trader you
said was in charge o' this fort when you lived here?" asked Redhand.

"Mokgroggir," replied the Indian.

"Ha, Macgregor, ye mean, no doubt."

Hawkswing nodded.

"Here you are, friends," said McLeod, re-entering the room with a large
roll of tobacco. "Help yourselves and don't spare it. There's plenty
more where that came from. But I see the steaks are ready, so let us
fall to; we can smoke afterwards."

During the repast, to which the trappers applied themselves with the
gusto of hungry men, March Marston questioned McLeod about the Wild Man.

"The Wild Man o' the West," said he in some surprise; "is it possible
there are trappers in the Rocky Mountains who have not heard of _him_?"

"Oh yes," said March hastily, "we've heard of him, but we want to hear
more particularly about him, for the accounts don't all agree."

"Ha! that's it," said Bounce, speaking with difficulty through a large
mouthful of fish, "that's it. They don't agree. One says his rifle is
thirty feet long, another forty feet, an' so on. There's no gittin' at
truth in this here--"

A bone having stuck in Bounce's throat at that moment he was unable to
conclude the sentence.

"As to the length of his rifle," said McLeod, when the noise made by
Bounce in partially choking had subsided, "you seem to have got rather
wild notions about that, and about the Wild Man too, I see."

"But he _is_ a giant, isn't he?" inquired March anxiously.

"N-not exactly. Certainly he is a big fellow, about the biggest man I
ever saw--but he's not forty feet high!"

March Marston's romantic hopes began to sink. "Then he's an ordinary
man just like one o' us," he said almost gloomily.

"Nay, that he is not," returned McLeod, laughing. "Your comrade Waller
does indeed approach to him somewhat in height, but he's nothing to him
in breadth; and as for ferocity, strength, and activity, I never saw
anything like him in my life. He comes sometimes here to exchange his