dead, then let him buy for
them an annuity, or otherwise invest four thousand pounds for their
benefit, according to the best of his judgment. How to come by the four
thousand pounds I will now explain.

"Away in the beautiful and sequestered valley at the head of Lake
Wichikagan there stands a stunted pine, near a rock fallen from the
cliff above. The spot is not easily found, but my Eve knows it well.
It was a favourite resort of ours when we went picnicking together.
There is a small hole or dry cave in the cliff just behind the fallen
rock. Two feet underneath the soil there will be found a bag containing
a set of diamonds worth the sum I have named, with a smaller bag
containing five hundred pounds in gold. It may not be amiss to say that
both jewels and money have been honestly come by. The money I dug out
of the Californian mines, and bought the jewels in a drunken frolic when
in Canada--`for my future wife,' as I then boasted. My dear wife has
never seen them, nor has Eve. They do not know of their existence. The
five hundred pounds in gold is to be retained for himself by the man who
accepts this trust to enable him to pay his way and carry it out.

"William Liston."

It is difficult to express the conflict of feelings that assailed me
when I had finished reading this remarkable manuscript. For some time
Lumley and I gazed at each other in silence.

"You accept the trust, I suppose?" said my friend at last.

"Of course. How could I do otherwise?"

"But you cannot remain in the service of the Hudson's Bay Company if you
do. They would never give you leave of absence for such a purpose."

"No matter. I will not ask leave of absence. I will resign. My time
was up, you know, this year. I will write to the governor by the
spring-brigade, and start away for Colorado in summer."

"But this poor man may have been slightly deranged," suggested Lumley.
"He says that at one time he led a wild life. It is possible that his
brain may have been affected, and he only dreams of these jewels and the
gold."

"I think not," said I, decidedly; "the letter is so calm and simple in
style that the idea is absurd; besides, we can soon test it by visiting
the valley and the spot referred to. Moreover, even if there were no
money, and the poor man were really deranged, he could never have
imagined or invented all that about his mother and Colorado if it were
not true. Even if we fail to find the jewels and ca