gland?"

"No, I didn't say that. I'm not going to cross the herring-pond. Your
people yonder wouldn't take to me. But let's try some other place.
Pull up tent-pegs and take up a location farther north, and I'll go with
you. What do you say, doctor?"

"That you are wasting your life here, Mr Griggs, and that I should
strongly advise you to make a fresh start."

"Along with you and the other neighbours?"

"I do not say that."

"Eh? Not too proud to have me, are you?"

"Certainly not," said the doctor warmly. "You have often proved
yourself too good a friend."

"Ah, that sounds better, doctor. Just you think over what I said, and
don't be in too great a hurry to go back to the old-country. There,
thankye for the dinner."

"Dinner!" said Wilton contemptuously. "I wish it was."

"Might have been worse," said the American good-humouredly. "You
old-country folk have a saying about, `You shouldn't look a gift horse
in the mouth.' Well, that'll do in this case--noo version. When you go
out to dinner you shouldn't look at what people give you to put in your
mouth. There, I'm off. But lookye here, squires, all of you. I'm off
now to go on killing blight and things, but as soon as you're tired of
our wild man, just send me word, and I'll fetch him over to my place."

He gave a comprehensive nod all round and was passing through the door,
but turned sharply round.

"Here, I'll just take a peep at the poor fellow as I go, doctor, by your
leave--Go on tip-toe, you know. P'r'aps you'd like to go with me."

"Yes, I want to see him again," replied the doctor, and they went to the
temporary hospital together, and found the stranger sleeping heavily.

"Man must have gone through a deal to get to look like that, doctor,"
whispered the American, as they stole away.

"A great deal more than we know, or ever shall know, friend Griggs,"
replied Chris's father.

"Oh, I dunno so much about that, mister. You once get him well, and
he'll spin us a yarn, I expect, such as'll make our hair stand on end."

"But how to get him well?" said the doctor, smiling sadly.

"Oh, you go on; you'll do it. See how you mended that black fellow the
horse kicked to pieces. It was wonderful; made me wish I'd been a
doctor myself. But there, I must be off back."

He turned away, and after another glance at his sleeping patient, who
quite fascinated him by his strangely weird aspect, the doctor returned
to the shanty, where he