e tired of civilised ways and to sigh for the wild life of the
prairie, when Armitage received a letter calling him to New York to meet
an agent.

"I should like to continue the expedition I began with you," he said,
"and I shall esteem it a favour if you will wait for my return; I shall
not be longer than I can help."

His request, made in so courteous a way, was not to be refused. We all
consented to stop. Week after week went by, and Armitage was still
delayed; but as we had remained so long, we agreed to wait until he
returned, though our stay was double the length we intended. We were
employed in adding to our outfit such articles as, from our experience,
we considered useful. At length Armitage rejoined us, and we were once
more _en route_. From the way his Indians had behaved when it came to a
pinch, he had resolved to take no more. Besides Pierre, who was
accompanied by another Canadian, we had a Yankee trapper yclept "Long
Sam," who, according to his own showing, was likely to prove of far more
value than half-a-dozen Indians. He was ready for anything--to hunt on
horseback, to shoot on foot, or to trap beavers. We had been travelling
on some time when Armitage began to talk of Tillydrone, and suggested
that, as it was not far out of our way, it would be but courteous to pay
a visit there and inquire after the family who had treated us so
hospitably. He said not a word, however, about Miss Hargrave, nor from
the tone of his voice would anyone have suspected that he was thinking
of her.

When Long Sam heard us mention the place, he exclaimed--

"Why, that's wha'r Praeger used to live, and it was burnt with mighty
near the whole of the property when the forest caught fire last fall,
though he and his family escaped. I heard say that they were going to
move westward, and they must be on their journey by this time, I guess."

Armitage questioned and cross-questioned his informant, and seemed
perfectly satisfied with his statement. After this he expressed no
further wish to visit Tillydrone.

We had been travelling on for more than a month, when we once more found
ourselves among the wild and grand scenery in the neighbourhood of the
Rocky Mountains. We encamped not far from a spot we had before
occupied, where we knew an abundance of game was to be found. This time
we had determined that nothing should turn us back until the western
coast was reached. We were now enabled to detect the trails of