as good a rifle shot as there was in the
West, over a range of a million and a half square miles of mountain and
plain, but I forgot, for a moment, about one exception. That exception
is Giant Tom, here. He has one of the fine repeating rifles like ours,
and whether with that or a muzzle loader he's quicker and surer than any
other."

The face of Giant Tom turned red through his tan.

"See here, Jim Boyd, I'm a modest man, I'm no boaster, don't be telling
wild tales about me to young William. I don't know him yet so well as I
do you, an' I vally his good opinion."

"What I say is true every word of it. If his bullet would only carry
that far he'd pick off a deer at five miles every time, and you needn't
deny it, Giant Tom."

"Well, mebbe thar is some truth in what you say. When the Lord sawed me
off a foot, so I'd hev to look up in the faces o' men whenever I talked
to 'em, He looked at me an' He felt sorry fur the little feller He'd
created. I'll have to make it up to him somehow, He said to Hisself, an'
to he'p me along He give me muscles o' steel, not your cast steel, but
your wrought steel that never breaks, then He put a mockin' bird in my
throat, an' give me eyes like an eagle's an' nerves o' the steadiest.
Last, He give me patience, the knowin' how to wait years an' years fur
what I want, an' lookin' back to it now I think He more than made up fur
the foot He sawed off. Leastways I ain't seen yet the man I want to
change with, not even with you, Jim Boyd, tall as you think you are, nor
with you, young William, for all your red cheeks an' your youth an' your
heart full o' hope, though it ain't any fuller than mine."

"Long but mighty interesting," said Boyd. "Now, you can see our wickiup,
over there in the open. We use it only when it rains. We'll help you
take the packs off your mules and they can go grazing for themselves
with our horses. You are not saying much about it, but I imagine that
you and the mules, too, are pretty nearly worn out."

"Them's good mules, mighty good mules, but them an' me, I don't mind
tellin' it to you, Jim Boyd, won't fight ag'inst restin' an' eatin'
awhile."

"I'll light the fire and warm food for you," said Will. "It's a pleasure
for me to do it. Sit down on the log and before you know it I'll have
ready for you the finest lake trout into which you ever put your teeth."

"Young William, I accept your invite."

Will quickly had his fire going, and he served not only trout,