pines stood out gilded, though sombre in
their shades, and the water flashed and sparkled where it rushed along.

It was a wonderful sight, impressing even Quong, and for a long time no
one spoke.

It was Gunson who broke the silence.

"Well, Quong," he cried, "what do you think of your work?"

"Velly solly," said the little fellow, dolefully.

"Ah," said Gunson, "it is a bad job. All the King of China's horses and
men could not build that up again--eh, Gordon?"

"No," I said, sadly; for there seemed to me to be something pitiful in
that grand forest monarch, at whose feet we had supped the past night,
being destroyed.

"But one of the seeds out of a cone hidden under the ground will produce
another," he said, "in a hundred or two years. And we shan't wait to
see it, Gordon."

I looked at him wonderingly.

"And that's how the world goes on, boy; fresh growth makes up for the
destruction, and perhaps, after all, we have done some future settler a
good turn by helping to clear the ground for him, ready for his home.
Now then, will you lie down and have another nap?"

"What, with that tree burning?" I cried; and Esau uttered a grumbling
sound expressing dissent, in which I fancied I detected words which
sounded like fire and bears.

"Well, it is hardly worth while," said Gunson. "Look sharp, Quong--tea.
We'll get breakfast over, and make a fresh start."

"What, so soon?" I cried.

"Soon? Yes--look!"

He pointed upward, and to my astonishment I saw what seemed to be
another huge pine-tree on fire far away in the distance; but realised
directly after that it was the icy point of a mountain touched by the
first rays of the rising sun, long before it illumined the lower earth.
For morning was close at hand, and Quong began piling up sticks on our
little fire, from which soon after we could trace the black path of
burnt needles away to where, as Gunson said, some branch must have
touched the ground, as was the case in many directions near.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

WE MEET A STRANGER.

The pine-tree was still burning as we set off just after sunrise that
morning, but a turn in the valley soon hid it from our sight. The
weather was glorious again, and we made good progress, stopping that
night at the snuggest settler's house we had yet come upon; but we could
hear very little about Fort Elk. The man, who was living with his wife
and son in that solitary place, had heard of the Fort that it was
"somewhe