aring what
was required he eagerly joined in to help, and in a few minutes the
roughly-made door was placed beside the unfortunate man, who was drawn
upon it and carried into the long open shed and placed upon a heap of
sweet new Indian corn-husks over which a blanket had been laid, a
home-made pillow being fetched by Chris from the shanty the party
shared, and as soon as the stranger felt the restfulness of his shaded
easy couch he uttered a low sigh, opened his eyes, and looked up in the
doctor's, but only to gaze in a strange, far-off, stony way.

"Going to give him something now, doctor?" said the American.

"Not yet," was the reply. "He is quite exhausted, and disposed to
sleep. Did you give him anything?"

"Mug o' water with a drop of cold tea in. He seemed choked with
thirst."

"Then I will wait and see if he sleeps before I do more."

"But say, mister," said the American; "I didn't show him the way here so
as to plant him on to you. I thought you'd give him some pills now and
a draught to take in the morning. I could have done this for the poor
chap. Hadn't you better do something of that sort and let me take him
back? What do you say to bleeding him?"

"When he has scarcely a drop of blood left in his body?"

"Oh, all right; I don't understand that sort of thing, doctor. But I
don't want you to think I meant to shuffle from helping a man out of a
hole."

"Oh, I don't think that, Griggs," said the doctor warmly; "but the poor
fellow must not be moved. He's in the last stage of exhaustion, and
must have suffered terribly."

"Precious old un, ain't he?" said the American, gazing down at the head
no longer covered by the rough cap of puma-skin that the patient had
worn, and all noting the yellow, half-bald head and the long, thin,
perfectly white hair and beard.

"A man of seventy, or more, I should say," replied the doctor gravely.

"Hundred and seventy, you mean," said the American sharply.

"No: about the age I said," replied the doctor.

"Well," cried the American, in a tone full of the surprise he felt, "yew
do surprise me, doctor!"

"Let's leave him for a bit," said the doctor, as he saw that their
visitor's eyes remained closed. "Perhaps he will sleep for a while."

The party backed out of the airy shed used for storing corn in the
season, and often utilised in the hottest weather for a sleeping-place
by the occupants of the shanty, and the strange visitor was left alone.

"I fe