as appearance goes, about such a man as I am. Stern, determined
sort of fellow, my lad; accustomed to deal with the Indians. Bit of a
hunter--naturally from living in these parts; bit of a gardener, and
botanist, and naturalist; done a little in minerals and metals too," he
continued, turning to Gunson. "Sort of man to talk to you, sir, as I
see you are prospecting--for gold, I suppose?"

"You can suppose what you like," said Gunson, drily. "This is a free
country, I believe. I never heard that Government interfered with
people for looking up the place."

"Oh no; it's free to a certain extent, but we settlers who are fixed
here like to know what perfect strangers are about."

"Look here," said Gunson, "I always make a point of keeping my business
to myself. Do you want to quarrel with me?"

"By no means," said the stranger, smiling. "I think the disposition to
be quarrelsome is more on your side. I merely asked you a few plain
questions, such as you would have asked me if our positions had been
reversed. Suppose you had marked down a deer, being a resident here,
and came out for it and found a stranger--"

"Poaching," said Gunson, mockingly.

"No; we have no game laws here, sir--had bagged your deer, and when you
came up to him, wishing to be civil, and offer him the hospitality one
Englishman should offer to another in this out-of-the-way corner of the
world, he cut up rough with you, as I think, on consideration, you must
own you have done with me. What then?"

I glanced from one to the other, ready to appeal to Gunson, for he
seemed to me to be horribly in the wrong.

There was a great difference in them, and it seemed to me to be very
marked just then; the stranger so tall, commanding, and dignified, in
spite of his rough hunting-dress, his eyes keen and flashing, and his
well-cut features seeming noble by comparison with Gunson's, whose
care-lined and disfigured face, joined with his harsh, abrupt way, made
him quite repellent.

But just as I was anticipating quite an explosion of anger, I saw his
face change, and grow less lurid. He looked frankly in the stranger's
face, took off his hat, and I felt that it was a gentleman speaking, as,
in quite an altered tone, he said simply--

"I beg your pardon. I was quite in the wrong."

"Hah!" ejaculated the stranger, "that is enough;" and he held out his
hand. "There's a ring of dear old England and good society in that,
sir. Welcome to these wil