ood service in making us more presentable.
We discovered, however, that our faces were a perfect network of fine
scratches, some of which _would_ go on bleeding, in spite of cold-water
applications. Our boots were nearly dry; and my petticoat, short as it
was, proved to be the only damp garment: this was the fault of my
first jump into the water. We put the least scratched and most
respectable-looking member of the party in the van, and followed him,
amid much barking of dogs, to the low porch; and after hearing a cheery
"Come in," answering our modest tap at the door, we trooped in one
after the other till the little room was quite full. I never saw such
astonishment on any human face as on that of the poor master of the
house, who could not stir from his chair by the fire, on account of a
bad wound in his leg from an axe. There he sat quite helpless, a
moment ago so solitary, arid now finding himself the centre of a large,
odd-looking crowd of strangers. He was a middle-aged Scotchman, probably
of not a very elevated position in life, and had passed many years in
this lonely spot, and yet he showed himself quite equal to the occasion.

After that first uncontrollable look of amazement he did the honours of
his poor hut with the utmost courtesy and true good-breeding. His only
apology was for being unable to rise from his arm-chair (made out of
half a barrel and an old flour-sack by the way); he made us perfectly
welcome, took it for granted we were hungry--hunger is a very mild word
to express my appetite, for one--called by a loud coo-ee to his man
Sandy, to whom he gave orders that the best in the house should be put
before us, and then began to inquire by what road we had come, what
sport we had, etc., all in the nicest way possible. I never felt more
awkward in my life than when I stooped to enter that low doorway, and
yet in a minute I was quite at my ease again; but of the whole party I
was naturally the one who puzzled him the most. In the first place, I
strongly suspect that he had doubts as to my being anything but a boy
in a rather long kilt; and when this point was explained, he could not
understand what a "female," as he also called me, was doing on a rough
hunting expedition. He particularly inquired more than once if I had
come of my own free will, and could not understand what pleasure I found
in walking so far. Indeed he took it so completely for granted that I
must be exhausted, that he immediately beg