andered
about these wild parts without that mainstay to back him up, and lacking
which he must of necessity starve in the midst of plenty.

Cuthbert looked keenly at the fellow's face, being, as has been said
before, something of a reader of character.

He instantly decided that he did not fancy the man--not that he was on
the surface other than a rough woods rover, with a laugh like the roar
of a bull alligator, and a heartiness that seemed genuine enough; but
something about his eyes caused the explorer to believe him
double-faced.

Eli could not see deep enough for that, and was ready to take the fellow
for just what he appeared, a big, rough-and-ready woodsman, full of
coarse jokes, perhaps, but honest withal, a diamond that had never been
chipped.

"Wall, bless my soul if it ain't three boys in camp here! Who'd a
suspected sich a thing, away up in this kentry, too. Lots o' pluck to
come so fur, fellers; how's the huntin' now, and I hopes as how ye ain't
settin' up in business as rivals ter me, ha! ha! In course I seen yer
blaze jest a ways back, an' thinks I, what's the use in bunkin' alone
ternight, Stackpole, yer old timber-cruiser, when thar's companionable
chaps near by who won't object p'raps ter sharin' ther fire with ye? So
I tolddled along a little further, an' here I be. Jest say as I'm
welcome, an' let me enjoy the hospertality o' the occasion. Thunder! but
the blaze is mighty fine tonight, fellers. Guess it won't be far from
frost by mornin' the way it is now. Hello! that you, Owen--well, who'd a
thought I'd run acrost ye here; ain't set eyes on ye this long spell."

Owen made no reply, but there was a little curl to his upper lip that
Cuthbert noticed, and he knew that the young Canadian held no very good
opinion of the giant timber-cruiser.

The name Stackpole was not entirely unknown to Cuthbert, since it had
been mentioned by several people when speaking of the Far Northwest and
those who were to be met with there--and if his recollections were
correct he was of the impression that the same Stackpole had been held
up as an example of a somewhat lawless character, who made a pretense of
cruising about looking for valuable timber in places where the
lumbermen, soon to come, could float the logs down a river to a market;
but who was suspected of other practices of a less honest character.

At any rate Cuthbert scented trouble of some sort, and was greatly
disgusted in that the other had discover