the badger
holes. Down in the ravine, where they had been sheltered from fire,
were red willows, choke-cherry bushes, and a few little poplars and
birches; a winding pond marked the course of the stream, which was
running in considerable volume. Even as they stood on the bank a
great cracking was heard, and huge blocks of ice rose to the surface
of the pond. Some of these as they rose turned partly on their edge,
showing two smooth sides.

"Good!" exclaimed McCrae. "There's some depth of water there. That
pond hasn't frozen solid, or the ice wouldn't come up like that. That
means water all winter for stock, independent of your well--a mighty
important consideration, which a lot of these land-grabbers don't
seem to reckon on. Now there's a good quarter, Jack. I don't say it's
the best there is; they'll be opening up new land that'd make your
teeth water twenty-five years from now. But we can't explore the
whole North-West, an' you're far enough from the railroad here. This
coulee will give shelter for your stock in raw weather, an' there's a
bench looks at though it was put there for your little house. There's
light timber to the north, fit for fuel an' building, within fifteen
miles, an' there'll be neighbours here before the summer's over, or
I'm no prophet. What do you say?"

"The quarter suits me," said Harris. "And the adjoining quarter is
good stuff too. I can take pre-emption right on that. But there's
just one thing I'm in doubt about."

"What's that?"

"How I'm going to square it with you for the service you have given.
My cash is getting low, and--"

"Don't worry about that. I generally size up my customer an' bill him
accordingly. If he has lots of money, an' seems likely to part with
it foolishly, I put as much of it as I can in safe keeping. But there
isn't any money fee as far as you're concerned. Fact is, I kinda
figure on trading this bill out with you."

"Trading it out? How?"

"Well, I expect to be roving this country, east an' west, for some
years to come, an' I've a little policy of establishing depots here
an' there--places where I can drop in for a square meal an' a sleep
an' a bit of Western hospitality. Places, too, if you like, where
there are men to say a good word for Aleck McCrae. How's that suit
you?"

Harris took his friend's hand in a warm grip. He rightly guessed that
McCrae was not bartering his services for hospitality, but was making
it easy for Harris to accept them by appe