t, and these, as well as the face,
hands, and ankles, had been tanned by the sun, and smoked by the fire,
to the hue of rusty copper. The whole man, clothes and all, looked as
if he had been smoked on purpose!

His face bespoke a man of sixty. The features were sharp and somewhat
aquiline; and the small eye was dark, quick, and piercing. His hair was
black and cut short. His complexion had been naturally brunette, though
there was nothing of the Frenchman or Spaniard on his physiognomy. He
was more likely of the black Saxon breed.

As I looked at this man (for I had walked towards him, prompted by some
instinct of curiosity), I began to fancy that there was a strangeness
about him, independent of the oddness of his attire. There seemed to be
something peculiar about his head, something wanting. What was it? I
was not long in conjecture. When fairly in front of him, I saw what was
wanting. It was his ears!

This discovery impressed me with a feeling akin to awe. There is
something awful in a man without ears. It suggests some horrid drama,
some terrible scene of cruel vengeance. It suggests the idea of crime
committed and punishment inflicted.

These thoughts were wandering through my mind, when all at once I
remembered a remark which Seguin had made on the previous night. This,
then, thought I, is the person of whom he spoke. My mind was satisfied.

After making answer as above, the old fellow sat for some time with his
head between his knees, chewing, mumbling, and growling, like a lean old
wolf, angry at being disturbed in his meal.

"Come hyar, Rube! I want ye a bit," continued Garey, in a tone of half
entreaty.

"And so 'ee will want me a bit; this child don't move a peg till he has
cleaned this hyur rib; he don't, now!"

"Dog-gone it, man! make haste, then!" and the impatient trapper dropped
the butt of his rifle to the ground, and stood waiting in sullen
silence.

After chewing, and mumbling, and growling a few minutes longer, old
Rube, for that was the name by which the leathery sinner was known,
slowly erected his lean carcass; and came walking up to the crowd.

"What do 'ee want, Billee?" he inquired, going up to the trapper.

"I want ye to hold this," answered Garey, offering him a round white
shell, about the size of a watch, a species of which there were many
strewed over the ground.

"It's a bet, boyee?"

"No, it is not."

"Ain't wastin' yur powder, ar yur?"

"I've been b