第13章

"Digs’emup，don’the？"saidIkeoneSunday，whenthesecondflatofJimRoss’sstorewasfilledwithmenandwomenwho，thoughtheyhadlivedinthecountryforfromtwototwentyyears，werestillforthemostpartstrangerstoeachother。"Digs’emupliketheboysdigthebadgers。Gottocomeoutoftheirholeswhenhegitsafter’em。"

"Dat’sso，"saidPerault，whohadbecomeanardentfollowerofShock’s。"Dat’sso。Allsamelakoleboss。"

"Prospector，eh？"saidIke。

"Oui。Prospector，sureenough，bygar！"repliedPerault，withtheemphasisofamanwhohasstumbleduponagreatfind;andthenamecameatoncetoberecognisedassoeminentlysuitablethatfromthattimeforthitstuck，andallthemorethatbeforemanyweekstherewasnonetodisputethetitlewithhim。

AllthistimetheOldProspectorfrettedandwastedwithaninwardfeverthatbaffledthedoctor’sskill，andbutforthevisitsofhisfriendsandtheirconstantassurancesthatnextweekwouldseehimfit，theoldmanwouldhavesuccumbed。

"It’smyopinion，"saidIke，whowithTheKidhadmadeahabitofdroppinginforavisittothesickman，andthenwoulddisposethemselvesoutsideforasmoke，listeningthewhiletotheflowofsongandstorywherewithhisdaughterwouldbeguiletheoldmanfromhisweariness;"it’smyopinionthatitainteitherthatrheumatismnorthattherepewmonia，"——Ikehadonceglancedatthedoctor’slabelwhichdistinguishedthepneumoniamedicinefromthatprescribedforrheumatism，——"itainteithertherheumatismnorthattherepewmonia，"herepeated，"that’sa—killin’him。"

"Whatthendoyouthinkitis，Ike？"saidthedoctor，towhomIkehadbeenconfidingthisopinion。

"It’sfrettin’;frettin’afterthetrailandtheLostRiver。Forthirteenyearshe’schasedthatriver，andhe’lldiea—chasin’it。"

"Well，he’llcertainlydieifhestartsafteritinhispresentcondition。"

"Maybeso，doctor。Iwouldn’tinterdictanyopinionofyours。ButI

reckonhe’ddieamightysighteasier。"

"Well，Ike，myboy，"saidthedoctorinhisgentlevoice，"perhapsyouareright，perhapsyou’reright。Thesuggestionisworthconsidering。"

AndtheresultseemedtojustifyIke’sopinion，forfromthedaythatthedoctorfixedthetimefortheOldProspector’sdeparturethefeverabated，hisphilosophiccalmreturned，hebecamedailystrongeranddailymorecheerfulandcourageous，andthoughhewastroubledstillwithacoughhedepartedonebrightday，withPerault，inhighspirits。

"Ishallrememberyouall，"hecried，wavinghishandgailyinfarewell。"Doctor，Ishallbuildyouahospitalwhereyourskillwillhaveopportunityandscope。Mr。Macgregor，yourheartwillbedelightedwiththatchurch—manse—schoolbuildingofyours。"ThiswasShock’spetschemeforthepresent。"Toallofyousuitablerewards。

ThistimeIseesuccess。Farewell。"

AfterhehadturnedawayhereinedbackhisponyandaddressedShockagain。

"Mr。Macgregor，"hesaid，withalmostsolemnearnestness，"Igivemydaughterintoyourcharge。Iamsureyouwillwatchoverher。ShewillbecomfortablewithJosie，andshewillbesafeunderyourcare。"

Hisspiritofenthusiasticconfidencecaughtallthecrowdstandingby，sothattheygavehimaheartycheerinfarewell。

"Didnotsaywhathewouldgiveus，eh，Carroll？"saidCrawley，whowithCarrollstoodatthebackofthecrowd。

"Blankedoldfool！"growledCarroll。

"Andyethehasamarvellousinstinctformines，"saidCrawley，"andthistimehehasgotsomethingmorethanusualinhishead，I

believe。Hehasbeenparticularlysecretive。Icouldnotgetanythingoutofhim。Guesshemeanstoeuchreusoutofourshareofanythingbig，partner。"

"Cursehimforanowldthief！"saidCarroll。"I’llhaveitoutavhishide，soIwill，ifhetriesthat。"

"Then，Carroll，you’llhavetodoitwhenhisbigfriendisnotround。"

Carroll’sanswerwasaperfectfloodofprofanity，copiousenoughtoincludenotonlytheOldProspector，Shock，alltherelativeslivinganddead，butCrawley，whostoodlisteningwithasarcasticgrinonhisevilface。

"Well，well，"atlastsaidCrawleysoothingly，"yourtimewillcome。

And，partner，youmaydependonmewhenitcomes。Iowehimsomething，too，andIwouldratherpayitthangetamine。"

ThedaysthatfollowedtheOldProspector’sdeparturewerelonelyenoughforhisdaughter。Herfather’sillnesshadbroughttothemboththeinestimableboonofmutualacquaintanceandaffection。Itwasthegirl’sfirstexperienceofhavingnearheronetowhomshecouldfreelygivethelong—hoardedtreasuresofherlove;andnowthathewasgoneshecouldonlywonderhowshecouldhavelivedsolongwithouthim。Itwaswellforherthatshehadherschool，whichshetransferrednowtoherfather’shouse，forthoughShockoccupiedtheinnerroomhewasverylittleathome。

InadditiontotheschooltherewasPatsy，who，neververystrong，hadnotregainedevenhispunystrengthsincetheoperation。EveryfinedayMarionwouldtakethelittleladforagloriouscanterupthetrailthatranalongTheLake，butthedaywasnevercompletetoPatsyunlessitincludedavisittotheJumpingRock，andthereatale，andatleastonesong。IntheseridesStanton，asoftenashevisitedthevillage，wouldjoin，andthenitwastheSwallowthatthelittlecripplewouldride，holdinghisreinsincowboystylehighinonehand，andswayingwithcarelesssecurityinthesaddle，andallthemorebecauseofthestrongarmabouthim。

ThesewerehappydaystoPatsy，happytoyoungStanton，happierthansheknewtoMarion，andallthehappierbycontrasttothedark，saddaysthatfollowed。

AboutthreeweeksaftertheOldProspector’sdepartureahalf—breed，onacayusewetandleg—weary，appearedattheLoonLakeStoppingPlace，askingforthepreacher。

"BlankedifIknow！"growledCarroll。"Offonsomefoolhuntorother。"

"AskIkethere，"saidCrawley，whowassittingonthestoop。"Youbelongtohisflock，don’tyou，Ike？Elder，aintyou？"

"Hisflock？"echoedIke。"Wouldn’tmindifIdid。I’dbesureofmycompany，whichIcan’talwaysbealmostanywhereelse。Wantthepreacher，eh？"turningtothehalf—breed。

"Letterfromdeoldman。"

"Whatoldman？Letmeseeit，"saidCrawleyquickly。"Ah！’Rev。Mr。

Macgregor，oroneofhisfriends。’GuessthisisfromtheOldProspector，eh？"

Thehalf—breednodded。

"Whereishe？"

"Wayupinmountain，"hesaid，wavinghishandtowardthehills。

"Well，thepreacherisn’there。Itmustbeimportant，"continuedCrawley。"IsupposeImightaswellopenit，especiallyasitislikelyitwillbesomethingaboutoutfit。Eh，Carroll？"

HewasabouttoteartheletteropenwhenIkeinterposed。

"Holdup，there。Itstrikesmeyou’realittlerapidinyourconclusions。Let’shavealookattheletter。"

Crawleyveryunwillinglygaveitup。

"Oneofhisfriends，"readIke，withsomedifficulty，"Youcountyourselfinthere，doyou？"toCrawley。"You’dbemightyluckyifheagreedwithyouonthattherepoint。NowIjudgethisoughttogotothepreacheror，ifheaintround，totheyounglady。"

Sosaying，Ike，withoutanotherglanceatthedisappointedCrawley，strodeawaywiththelettertofindMarion。

Hefoundherbusyintheschool。Shereadtheletter，lookedatIkewithwhitefaceandwide—openeyes，readitasecondtime，andsaid，"HewantsMr。Macgregor，quick——andme。Heisill。Oh，Ike！"shecriedsuddenly，"heisill，andMr。Macgregorisaway。"

"Wheredidhego？"saidIkeshortly。

"IheardhimsaytoWillowCreek，totheMartins。Thedoctoriswithhim。"

"TheMartins，eh？Why，that’sonlyeightmiles，Ireckon。Well，gityourselfreadyandyourhorse。I’llbebackinanhourandahalf。"

Heturnedaway，butafterhehadgoneafewstepshestrodeback。

"Nouselookin’likethat，"hesaidalmostgruffly。"We’llgitawagonandbringhimhomeeasy。Awagon’seasierthanridin’，though’taintlikelyhe’sverybad。"

"Bad！"exclaimedMarion，withasob。"Oh，Ikeyoudon’tknowmyfather。Ifhewerenotbadhewouldnot——"Herehervoicefailedher。

"Don’tyouworry，miss。We’llbeonthetrailintwohours。Andlookhere，we’llwantbeddin’andlotsofthings，sohustle。"AndIkesetoffwithlongstrides。"Hustle’sthewordforher。Gottokeepherbusy，poorgirl！"hesaidtohimself。"Guesshe’sagoner。Youbetthatoldchapdon’tweakenfornobelly—ache。He’srightbad。"

TheonlywagonintheplacebelongedtoCarroll。"Wantyourwagonandoutfit，Carroll，"saidIkebriefly。"OldProspector’sprettybad。Gottogethimhome。"

Carrollgrowledarefusal。HehadneverrecoveredhiswantedgoodnaturesincehisencounterwithShock，andhisresentmentagainsttheoneman，seemedtopoisonhiswholenatureagainstall。

"What！"saidIke，amazedatCarroll’srefusal。Inthatcountrymeninneedofanythinghelpedthemselveswithoutreferencetotheowner。

"Why，sure，Carroll，"interposedCrawleyhastily。"You’llletIkehavethatwagon。Itellyouwhat，I’lldriveitforhim。Shutup，Carroll！"hesaidinanaside。"Whendoyoustart，Ike？Twohours？

I’llbethere。"

Inanhourandahalf，truetohisword，IkewasbackwithShockandthedoctor。Beforeanotherhalfhourhadgonepasttheywereallonthetrail，Marionridingherpony，Shockandthedoctorinthebuckboard，andCrawleydrivingthewagon，inwhich，besidesmattressandbedding，weresaddlesforusewhenthetrailshouldforbidwheels。

AfterlonghesitationIkedecidedthatheoughtnottojointheparty。

"ThatthereCrawley，"hearguedtohimself，"ainttobetrusted，especiallywhenhe’sgoin’roundlookin’likeablankhyena。ButI

guessI’llhavetolethimgoandgitbacktotheranch。"AndsowithanuneasyfeelingIkewatchedthemsetoff。

Half—waybacktotheranchhemethisboss。

"Hello，Ike，"salutedTheKidgaily。"You’reneedingapowder。Offyourfeed，eh？"

"Howdy，boss，"repliedthecowboygravely。

"I’mfeelin’properenough，butthere’sothersnotsofrisky。"

"What’sup，Ike？Yourgrandmotherpoorly？"

"Well，doyouknow，"saidIke，watchingTheKidkeenlywithhishalfshuteyes，"there’sbeenagreatmix—upatTheLakethere。Abreed，halfdeadwiththesaddle，camefromtheOldProspectoraskin’forthepreacher。Guesstheoldchap’saboutquittin’thetrail。"

TheKid’shandtightenedonthereins。

"Hithimthere，Ireckon，"gruntedIketohimself，buttheotherpaidnoattention。"So，"continuedIke，"they’veallgoneoff。"

"Who？"

"Whythehulltown，seemingly。There’sthepreacher，andthedoctor，andthatthereCrawley，withCarroll’swagonoutfit。Theylookedalittlelikeacircus，exceptthattherewantanywildanimals。

Unlessyou’dcountCrawleyforamonkey，whichwouldberatherhardonthemonkey，Iguess。"

Ikechuckled，ararechucklethatseemedtobeginalongwaybelowhisdiaphragmandworkslowlyuptohislips。

"Whatthedeuceareyoutalkingabout？"enquiredTheKid。"WhathasCrawleygottodowiththis？"

"Why，"saidIkeinasurprisedtone，"dunno，onlesshe’safriendoftheoldman’s。Theydohavealotofbusinesstogetherseemingly。Orperhapsascompanyforthegel。"

"Thegirl！Steadythere，Swallow，"tohismare，forSwallowhadgivenasuddenspring。"Whatgirl？"demandedTheKid。"Whydon’tyoutalksense？Youdidn’tsayanythingaboutagirl。"

"Why，didn’tImentionaboutthatgel？Well，I’mgettin’forgetful。

Why，whatgeldoyouthink？Theyaintgrowin’onrosebushesoroldwillowsroundhere，sofarasI’veseen。Now，howmanygelshaveyouobservedinyourpilgrimagesroundthattown？"

"Oh，blankyouforanidiot！"saidTheKidwrathfully。"Doyoumeanthatthe——MissMowbrayhasgoneoffwiththerest？"Inspiteofhissplendidself—control，asTheKidspokethenamearedflushonhisfacecouldbesuddenlyseenthroughthebrowntan。

Ikenoddedgravely。

"Yes，she’sgone。Butshe’llbeallright。Thepreacher’sthere。

He’llbebusywiththeoldman，ofcourse，buthe’llfindsometimeforher。Andthenthere’stheotherchap，youknow。He’sbeenmightykindto—day，mightykind，andconsiderable，too。Can’tsayasI’djustcottontohim，butwhenhelikeshe’singraciousin’ways，mightyingraciousin’ways。"

"Oh！"roaredTheKid。"Crawley"Thenhelookedathiscowboy’sface。

"Confoundyou，Ike！Soyouwerepullingmylegalittle，wereyou？

Nevermind，mydaywillcome。"

WiththisheturnedtheSwallowtowardtheLakeandsetoff。

"Good—bye，"calledoutIke。"Whereyougoing？"

"Oh，Isay，"criedTheKid，wheelingtheSwallow。

"Whattraildidtheytake？"

"YoumeanCrawley？"inquiredIke。

WithacurseTheKidboredownuponhim。

"Whichwaydidtheygo？"hedemanded。

"Okanagantrail，"saidIke，withaslowgrin。"Solong。"

"Good—bye，Ike。You’llseemewhenIcomeback。"

AndTheKidwavedhishand，andgavetheSwallowherhead。

Ikelookedafterhim，andallowedhimselfthevery，unusualindulgenceofaheartylaugh。

"Well，"hesaid，"ItriedtohelpCrawleyalittle，butsomehowitdidn’tseemtogoright。"

Atailchaseisalongchase，andsoTheKidfoundit，forthespeedandenduranceoftheSwallowwerebothfullytestedbeforetheadvancepartywereovertaken。

Ashecameinsightofthemhepulledhimselfupwiththequestion，"WhatamIdoinghere？Whatismybusinesswiththatparty？"Foramileorsoherodeslowly，keepingoutoftheirsight，tryingtofindsuchanswertothisquestionaswouldsatisfynotsomuchhimselfbutthosebeforehim，towhom，somehow，hefeltananswerwasdue。ThedifficultyofexplaininghispresencebecamesensiblygreaterashepicturedhimselfattemptingtomakeitcleartoCrawley。

"Itisnoneofhisbusiness，anyway，"atlengthhesaidimpatiently。

"Shedoesn’twanthimaround。Howdidheknow？"

Crawleywasamanofsomeparts。Hehadmoneyandability。Hewasascholar，andcouldtalkwellaboutrocksandplants。TheKidhadheardhimdiscoursetotheOldProspectorandMarionmanyadayonthesesubjects，andintelligently，too。

"Well，"hesaidatlength，"Imaybeofsomeuse，anyway。Surelyafellowhasarighttoofferhisservicestohisfriendsintrouble。"

Withthisexplanationonhislipshesaileddownuponthecompany。

Marionandthehalf—breedwereridingfarinfront，Crawleyfollowingascloselyashecouldwiththewagon。SomedistanceintherearwereShockandthedoctorinthebackboard。TheKidcouldhearCrawleypointingouttoMarioninaloudvoicethestrikingfeaturesofthebeautythatlayaroundtheminsuchawealthandvarietyofprofusion。ThewordsofIkecametohismind，"mightyingraciousin’。"

"Confoundhisimpudence！"hegrowled。"Iwonderifsheknowsthekindofsnakeheis？IbelieveI’lltellher，forherownsake。No，thatwon’tdo，either。Well，IguessImustwaitmychance。"

Putthechanceseemedslowincoming。

"ThoughtIwouldrideafteryouandoffer——seeifyou——ifIcouldbeofservice。"

"Andweareverygladtohaveyou，"saidShockheartily。

"Yes，wefoundyouusefulonoccasionbefore，anddoubtlessshallagain，"saidthedoctor，inatoneofpleasantsufferance。

TheKidreinedupbehindthebuckboard，waitingforanexcusetorideforward，butformilesfindinganone。

"Iwondernow，"saidShockatlength，"ifwehadnotbetterstopandhavetea，andthenridetilldarkbeforewecamp。IfMarionisnottiredthatwouldbethebetterway。"

"I’llrideupandask，"saidTheKideagerly，andbeforeanyothersuggestioncouldbemadehewasgone。

ThepropositionfoundacceptancewithMarionand，whatwasofmoreimportance，withthehalf—breedguide。

IfTheKidhadanydoubtofhisreceptionbythegirltheglad，gratefullookinhereyesashedrewnearwasenoughtoassurehimofherwelcome;andashetooktheguide’splacebyhersideshehastenedtosay，"Iamgladyoucame，Mr。Stanton。Itwasverykindofyoutocome。Itwasawfulridingalonemileaftermile。"

"Alone！"echoedTheKid。

"Well，ImeanyouknowhecannottalkmuchEnglishand——"

"Ofcourse，"promptlyrepliedTheKid，"IamawfullygladIcame，now。Wasn’tsurejusthowyoumighttakeit。Imean，Ididnotlikepushingmyselfin，youunderstand。"

"Oh，surelyonedoesnotneedtoexplainakindnesssuchasthis，"

saidthegirlsimply。"Yousee，thedoctorandMr。Macgregoraretogether，andwillbe，andtheothers——well，Ihardlyknowthem。"

Thetrailwoundinandout，withshortcurvesandsharpascents，amongthehills，whoseroundtopswereroughenedwiththerocksthatjuttedthroughtheturf，andweredeckedwithclumpsofpoplarandspruceandpine。Theworldseemedfullofbrightnesstotheboy。Hisheartoverflowedwithkindnesstoallmankind。Hefounditpossible，indeed，tothinkofCrawley，even，withabenignantcompassion。

FarupinthePasstheycamped，inalittlesheltereddellallthickwithjackpines，throughwhosewide—spreadingrootsranandchatteredalittlemountainbrook。Butfortheanxietythatlaylikeleaduponherheart，howdelightfultoMarionwouldhavebeenthis，herfirst，experienceofanightoutofdoors。AndwhenafterteaShock，sittingclosebythefire，readthateveningPsalm，breathingatrustandpeacethatnocircumstancesofillcouldbreak，thespicyairandthedeepblueskyoverhead，sownwithstarsthatraineddowntheirgentlebeamsthroughthesilentnight，madeforMarionaholyplacewhereGodseemednear，andwhereitwasgoodtoliedownandrest。"Iwillbothlaymedowninpeaceandsleep，forthou，Lord，onlymakestmedwellinsafety"

Andthatsenseofsecurity，ofbeingundertender，lovingcare，didnotforsakeherallthroughthelongwatchesofthenight，andthroughthewearymilesofthenextday’stravelthatbroughtthematlengthtotheOldProspector’scamp。

Astheynearedthecampthetrailemergedoutofthickbushesintoawidevalley，wheregreatpinesstood，withwidespacesbetween，andclearofallunderbrush。Thewholevalleywascarpetedthickwithpineneedles，andgleamedlikegoldintheyellowlightoftheeveningsun。Thelowerboughsunderwhichtheyrodeweredead，andhungwithlongstreamersofgreymossthatgavethetreestheappearanceofhoaryage。

Astheyenteredthevalleyinstinctivelytheyloweredtheirvoicesandspokeinreverenttones，asiftheyhadbeenusheredintoanassemblageofancientandsilentsages。Oneverysidethestatelypinesledawayinlongvistasthatsuggestedtheaislesofsomenoblecathedral。Therewasnosignoflifeanywhere，nomotionofleaforbough，nosoundtobreakthesolemnstillness。Theclatterofahoofoverastonebrokeontheearwithstartlingdiscordance。

Thewidereachesofyellowcarpetofpineneedles，goldenandwithblackbarsofshadow，thelongdrawnaislesoftallpines，bearingaloftlikestatelypillarsthehigh，archedroofofgreen，thelowerlimbsstickingoutfromthetrunksbonyandbarebutforthependantstreamersofgreymoss，allbathedinthediffusedradianceoftheyellowafternoonlight，suggestedsomeweirdandmightyfaneofapeoplelongdead，whosespirits，hauntingthesesolemnspaces，stillkeptovertheirtempleasilentandawfulwatch。

OutonthetrailtheymetPeraultinafrenzyofanxiousexcitement。

"TankdeBonDieu！"hecriedbrokenly，withhandsuplifted。"Comewit’me，queek！queek！"

"Perault，tellushowyourbossis。"Thedoctor’svoicewasquietandauthoritative。"Andtellushowlonghehasbeenill，andhowitcameon。Beveryparticular。Takeplentyoftime。"

Perault’sGallictemperamentrespondedtothedoctor’squiettoneandmanner。

"Oui。Bon，"hesaid，settlingdown。"Listentome。Wecomeniceandslowtodisplace，an’denwegoupdatgulchforlittleprospect。

Goodting，too。Goodminedere，sure。Butoldbosshecan’tstay。Hemustgo，go，go。Denwegoup’nodergulch，tree，fourdaymore，for’nodermine。Prettygood，too。Denonenightwecomin’backtocamp，oldbossfeelgood。Skeepalonglaksmallsheep。Bygar，he’sfeeltoogood！He’sfallincrik。Dat’snoting。No！Goodfire，plentyblanketmakedatallright。ButdatnightIheardeolebossgroan，andcry，andturnovereandovere。Lightdefire;givehimonebigdrinkwheesky。Nogood。He’sgobadalldatnight。Nex’dayhe’shetnoting。Nex’dayhe’sworserandworser。WatIcandoIcan’ttell。

DendeBonDieuhesendalongdathalf—breed。Deolebosshewriteletter，an’youcomeherequeek。"

"Thankyou，Perault。Averylucidexplanation，indeed。Now，weshallseethepatient;andyou，MissMarion，hadbetterremainherebythefireforafewmoments。"

ThedoctorpassedwithShockintotheOldProspector’stent。

"Mr。Macgregor，"criedtheoldman，stretchingoutbothhandseagerlytohim，"I’mgladyouhavecome。Ifearedyouwouldnotbeintime。Butnow，"sinkingbackuponhisbalsambed，"nowallwillbe——well。"

"Mr。Mowbray，"saidShock，"Ihavebroughtthedoctorwithme。Lethimexamineyounow，andthenweshallsoonhaveyouonyourfeetagain。"

TheoldgentlemansmiledupintoShock’sface，asmilequietandcontent。

"No，"hesaidbetweenshortbreaths，"Ihavetakenthelongtrail。

Myquestisover。Itisnotforme。"

"Letthedoctorhavealookatyou，"entreatedShock。

"Mostcertainly，"saidtheOldProspector，inhiswontedcalmvoice。

"Letthedoctorexamineme。Iamnotamantothrowawayanyhope，howeverslight。"

Asthedoctorproceededwithhisexaminationhisfacegrewmoreandmoregrave。Atlengthhesaid，"Itisidleformetotrytoconcealthetruthfromyou，Mr。Mowbray。Youareaverysickman。Theinflammationhasbecomegeneraloverbothlobesofthelung。Thewallsofthevesselsandthesurroundingtissueshavelosttheirvitality;thevesselsareextremelydilated，whileexudationandinfiltrationhaveproceededtoanalarmingextent。Theprocessofengorgementiscomplete。"

"Doyouconsiderhisconditiondangerous，doctor？"saidShock，breakinginuponthedoctor’stechnicaldescription。

"Inayoungpersonthedangerwouldnotbesogreat，but，Mr。

Mowbray，Ialwaystellthetruthtomypatients。InamanofyourageIthinkthehopeofrecoveryisveryslightindeed。"

"Thankyou，doctor"saidtheoldmancheerfully。"Iknewitlongago，butIamcontentthatmyquestshouldceaseatthispoint。Andnow，ifyouwillgivemeafewmomentsofcloseattention，"hesaid，turningtoShock，"andifyouwillseethattheprivacyofthistentisabsolutelysecure，thereislittlemorethatIshallrequireofyou。"

Thedoctorsteppedtothedoor。

"Doctor，"saidtheOldProspector，"Idonotwishyoutogo。ItismorethanIhoped，thatthereshouldbebesidemewhenIpassedoutofthislifetwomenthatIcantrust，suchasyourselfandMr。

Macgregor。Sitdownclosebesidemeandlisten。"

Hepulledoutfrombeneathhispillowanoil—skinparcel，whichheopened，discoveringasmallbagofbuckskintiedwithathong。

"Openit，"hesaidtoShock。"Takeoutthepaper。"Hisvoicebecamelowandeager，andhismannerbespokeintenseexcitement。

"Mydearfriend，"saidthedoctor，"thiswillbetoomuchforyou。

Youmustbecalm。"

"Givemesomethingtodrink，doctor，somethingtosteadymeabit，forImustconveytoyouthesecretofmylife’squest。"

Thedoctoradministeredastimulant，andthen，withlessexcitement，butwithnolesseagerness，theoldmanproceededwithhisstory。

"Here，"hesaid，pointingwithatremblingfingertoalineuponthepaperShockhadspreadbeforehim，"hereisthetrailthatleadstotheLostRiver。Atthispointwearenowcamped。Followthecourseofthisstreamtothispoint，halfaday’sjourney，notmore;turntowardtheeastandcrossoverthislowmountainridgeandyoucometoavalleythatwillstrikeyouasoneofpeculiarformation。Ithasnoapparentoutlet。Thatvalley，"saidtheOldProspector，loweringhisvoicetoawhisper，"isthevalleyoftheLostRiver。

Thisend，"keepinghistremblingfingeratacertainpointonthepaper，"hasbeenblockedupbyamountainslide。Theotherturnsveryabruptly，stilltotheeast。Threemountainpeaks，keptinperfectline，willleadyouacrossthisblockadetothesourceoftheLostRiver。"

"Mr。Mowbray，"saidShock，"Peraulttellsusyouonlymadeshortexcursionsfromthispointwherewearenow。"

"Listen，"saidtheoldman。"Imadethisdiscoverylastyear。Ihavebreathedittonoone。Myclaimisyetunstaked，buthere，"saidhe，takinganothersmallbuckskinbagfromhisbreast，"hereiswhatI

found。"

Hetriedinvainwithhistremblingfingerstoundotheknot。Shocktookthebagfromhimandopeneditup。

"Emptyitout，"saidtheoldman，hiseyesglitteringwithfeverandexcitement。

Shockpouredforthgolddustandnuggets。

"There，"hesighed。"Ifoundtheseatthatspot。Emptytheotherbag，"hesaidtoShock。"ThesearetheonesgivenmebytheIndiansomanyyearsago。Thesamegold，thesamerock，thesamenuggets。

ThereismyLostRiver。Ithoughttostakemyclaimthissummer。I

oughttohavestakeditlastyear，butaterriblestormdrovemeoutofthemountainsandIcouldnotcompletemywork。"

Theoldmanceasedhistale，andlaybackuponhiscouchwithclosedeyes，andbreathingquickly。ThedoctorandShockstoodlookingateachotherinamazementandperplexity。

"Ishequitehimself？"saidShock，inalowvoice。

Theoldmancaughtthequestionandopenedhiseyes。