r a while he thought he could
distinguish the tolling of a single bell; then in varying notes the peal
broke out again.

There was something ethereal in the clear tones. The last time he had
heard anything like them he was sitting one Sunday morning on a shady
lawn while the call of the bells came softly up to him across the English
woods. He glanced at his comrades, but they showed no sign of hearing,
and raising himself on one elbow he lay and listened, until the music,
growing fainter and fainter, died away. Then, puzzled and half convinced
that his imagination had played him some fantastic trick, he went to
sleep.

He mentioned the occurrence diffidently at breakfast the next morning,
expecting incredulous laughter; but Lisle, without making a comment,
glanced at Jake questioningly.

"No," responded Jake. "Nothing to bring them up so far."

"You couldn't have been mistaken?" Lisle asked Nasmyth.

"I thought I must be; but the more I listened, the clearer it got."

"Go and see," Lisle said, addressing Jake, and when they had finished
breakfast the packer strode away.

"We'll wait a bit," advised Lisle. "I'm a little worried about provisions
again. It's still a long march to the nearest wagon trail."

Nasmyth failed to understand how the delay would improve their position,
but believing that his companion was somewhat dubious about his tale he
restrained his curiosity. In half an hour Jake came back and nodded to
Lisle.

"Quite a bunch of them," he reported. "I struck the fellow's trail."

"What was it I heard?" Nasmyth asked.

"Cow-bells," Lisle explained, laughing. "In this country, they generally
put them on any cattle that run loose in the timber. Some adventurous
rancher has located up here, though I hadn't expected to find one so far
north. Anyway, it's a relief; he'll no doubt be able to let us have
something to eat."

They reached the man's log house an hour later, and spent the day with
him, enjoying a much needed rest. The next morning he supplied them with
provisions and told them how to find a trail down to a wagon road; and,
setting out, they safely reached a settlement in regular communication
with the cities.

It was the settlement Lisle had expected to come to, and he found a
bundle of correspondence awaiting him there. Before he opened it,
however, he and Nasmyth supplied themselves with such clothing as they
could obtain at the local store, and then demanded a bath at the little
wood