sily convinced.
Others are so powerful that they readily seize upon truth when it is
presented to them; but in either case, the instant the point of
conviction is reached the mind is changed. Pride may indeed prevent the
admission of this change, but it takes place, as I have said,
inevitably."

At this Bounce opened his eyes to their utmost possible width and said
solemnly, "Wot! do ye mean for to tell me, then, that thair ain't no
sich thing as obstinacy?" He accompanied this question with a shake of
the head that implied that if Bertram were to argue till doomsday he
would never convince him (Bounce) of that.

"By no means," returned the artist, smiling; "there is plenty of it, but
obstinacy does not consist in the simple act of holding one's opinion
firmly."

"Wot _does_ it consist of, then?"

"In this--in holding firmly to opinions that have been taken hastily up,
without the grounds on which they are founded having been duly weighed;
and in refusing to consider these grounds in a philosophical (which
means a rational) way, because the process would prove tiresome. The
man who has comfortably settled all his opinions in this way very much
resembles that `fool' of whom it is written that he `is wiser in his own
conceit than seven men who can _render a reason_.'"

"Well, but, to come back to the starting-point," said McLeod, "many wise
men smoke."

"If you say that in the way of argument, I meet it with the counter
proposition that many wise men _don't_ smoke."

"Hah!" ejaculated Bounce, but whether Bounce's ejaculation was one of
approval or disapproval we cannot tell. Neither can we tell what
conclusion these philosophers came to in regard to smoking, because,
just then, two horsemen were seen approaching the fort at full speed.

Seeing that they were alone, McLeod took no precautions to prevent
surprise. He knew well enough that Indians frequently approach in this
manner, so waited in front of the gate, coolly smoking his pipe, until
the savages were within a few yards of him. It seemed as if they
purposed running him down, but just as they came to within a couple of
bounds of him, they drew up so violently as to throw their foaming
steeds on their haunches.

Leaping to the ground, the Indians--who were a couple of strong,
fine-looking savages, dressed in leathern costume, with the usual
ornaments of bead and quill work, tags, and scalp-locks--came forward
and spoke a few words to McLeod in the C