d across and saw Gunson with
his hands to his mouth, while just then I saw something which quite
cheered me. For there was a faint curl of smoke rising up from among
the trees, and I knew that it was Quong making a fire to get us some
tea.

"There, Esau," I said, "Quong's getting ready to cook something. Come,
you go, and let's have a rest and a good meal."

"Ready to cook indeed! Why the sun's cooking one side of me now.
There, look at that."

"Yes," I said, as I looked in the direction indicated; "some kind of
eagle."

"Yes; flying away as easily as he likes. Don't it seem a shame that a
stupid bird should be able to go along like that, and we have to climb
and fall down?"

"Oh, I can't argue about that," I said, desperately, as, somewhat in
doubt whether I could balance my pack on my head, I raised it there and
stood perfectly still. "I'm going to take a long breath and then
start."

"Here, what yer going to do?" he cried. "I ain't going to be left all
alone here."

"Well, then, go first."

"But I can't go first and leave you. S'pose you can't get over after,
or tumble down, what am I to say to that Mr John?"

"What an unreasonable fellow you are, Esau!" I cried angrily.

"There, you're getting nasty with me. That's right. Now I ask you,
ain't a fix like this enough to make any fellow unreasonable?"

"But if we've got it to do, why not do it?"

"Come on!" Gunson shouted, and I took two steps forward, when, bringing
up his pack, Esau made a desperate plunge and got before me, sending
quite an avalanche of stones down as he shouted--

"Me first!--you wait."

I had no alternative but to step back to the easier slope, and regain my
position, while Esau went on tramp, tramp, balancing himself steadily,
but instead of striking up the slope he kept straight on for a time, and
gradually sinking lower and lower as he went farther away.

"Work upward!" I shouted.

"Well, ain't I?" came back, faintly heard amidst the rattling of the
stones; and once more I stood there waiting, suffering agonies as I saw
him struggle on, now going down, now fighting his way up, so that his
course was like that of a snake across a dusty road, such as I had many
a time seen down in the country. Every now and then he tottered, and I
thought he was going to fall, but he recovered himself, and went on with
his feet sinking in the loose stones, and every now and then descending
so far that I thought he would never re