w acquaintance's fingers were soon busy. He
seized the kettle, went to the spring, rinsed it out, and brought it
full to the fire. Then, before I could interfere, he had seized upon
the bacon, taken out a long ugly knife, whetted it upon his boot, and
began to cut off thin slices, which he laid upon a thin square of iron,
whose purpose I had not divined when Gunson unpacked it, bore them to
the fire, and stood there ready for a clear place where one side was all
aglow with embers.

This done, the Chinaman placed one or two branches in more favourable
positions for burning, and turned to Gunson again.

"Kettle nealy leady. Want tea?"

Gunson handed the tin to him, and the little yellow face lightened up as
the cover was taken off.

"Melican tea? No. Good tea. Ah!"

There was a long, eager sniff taken, and then a look was given round.

"One, two, thlee," said the little fellow, raising finger after finger
as he counted. "One, two, thlee," and he gave the tea a shake in the
canister.

"Not enough," said Gunson; "we like a good cup."

"Hey? like good cup? Yes, plenty tea fo' good cup," and he took off the
lid of the tin, and went and squatted down by the kettle, set the tea
aside, ready for the boiling of the water, and so brought the bacon over
the glowing embers slowly and carefully, using the point of his knife in
place of a fork. That tea proved to be excellent, and the bacon so
delicious that we felt kindly disposed toward the Chinaman as we ate it;
and the more so that as soon as he saw us well started, in place of
hanging about to be asked to join, he whetted his knife again, trotted
off, and began to collect pine-needles, and cut down boughs of fir and
spruce to pack together under the biggest tree for our bed.

"Here, what are you doing?" said Gunson. "Hey?" cried the little
fellow, trotting up. "Doing! Want mo' bacon--make blead. Blead gone
high."

"No, no. Sit down and have some tea."

"By and by!" said the little fellow. "Cut much bed. Velly black
dleckly; no see."

He went off, and we heard his knife hacking away again, and the rustling
of the boughs, as he laid them neatly together in the big, pine natural
tent that was to be our home that night.

"Well," said Gunson, "what do you think of real camping out?"

"Lovely," said Esau. "Oh! I say!"

"What's the matter?" I said. "Gnat sort of thing bit me on the side of
the neck. Why, if there ain't another."

He gave his fac