or us! There'll be an unholy mob on hand, and they'll
try to do you, sure."

Peter cooked himself a noon meal, but he did not eat much of it.
Instead, he sat quite still and stared with wide, blind eyes at the
wavering mists of steam that arose from the various hot dishes. From
time to time he got up with apparent purpose, which, however, left him
before he had taken two steps, so that his movement speedily became
aimless, and he sat down again. Late in the afternoon he went the rounds
of his claims again, but saw nothing unusual. He did not take the
trouble to cook supper. During the evening some men looked in for a
moment or so, but went away, because the cabin was empty. Peter was at
the moment of their visit walking back and forth, back and forth, away
up high there on the top of the ridge, in a little cleared flat space
next the stars. When he came to the end, he whirled sharp on his heels.
It was six paces one way and five the other. He counted the steps
consciously, until the mental process became mechanical. Then the count
went on steadily behind his other thoughts--five, six; five, six; five,
six; over and over again, like that. About ten o'clock he ceased opening
and shutting his hands and began to scream, at first under his breath,
then louder in the over tone, then with the full strength of his lungs.
A mountain lion on another slope answered him. He stretched his arms up
over his head, every muscle tense, and screamed. And then, without
appreciable transition, he sank to the rock and hid his face. For the
moment the nerve tension had relaxed.

The clear western stars, like fine silver powder, seemed to glimmer in
some light stronger than their own, as dust-motes in the sun. A breeze
from the prairie rested its light, invisible hands on the man's bent
head. Certain homely night-sounds, such as the tree-toads and crickets
and the cries of the poor wills, stole here and there through the
pine-aisles like living creatures on the wing. A faint, sweet odour of
the woods came with them. Peter arose, and drew a deep breath, and went
to his cabin. The peace of nature had for the moment become his own.

But then, in the darkness of his low bunk, the old doubts, the old
terrors returned. They perched there above him and compelled him to look
at them until his eyes were hot and red. "_Do, do, do!_" said they,
until Peter arose, and there, in the chill of dawn, he walked the three
miles necessary for the inspection of