but it turned almost invariably upon the
party for whom he kept his crazy look-out. He would tell Sir William
often, and always as if it were a new communication, that he had "a
brother somewhere in the woods," and beg that the sentinels should be
directed "to inquire for him." "I am anxious for news of my brother," he
would say. And sometimes, when we were under way, he would fancy he
spied a canoe far off upon the water or a camp on the shore, and exhibit
painful agitation. It was impossible but Sir William should be struck
with these singularities; and at last he led me aside, and hinted his
uneasiness. I touched my head and shook it; quite rejoiced to prepare a
little testimony against possible disclosures.

"But in that case," cries Sir William, "is it wise to let him go at
large?"

"Those that know him best," said I, "are persuaded that he should be
humoured."

"Well, well," replied Sir William, "it is none of my affairs. But if I
had understood, you would never have been here."

Our advance into this savage country had thus uneventfully proceeded for
about a week, when we encamped for a night at a place where the river
ran among considerable mountains clothed in wood. The fires were lighted
on a level space at the water's edge; and we supped and lay down to
sleep in the customary fashion. It chanced the night fell murderously
cold; the stringency of the frost seized and bit me through my
coverings, so that pain kept me wakeful; and I was afoot again before
the peep of day, crouching by the fires or trotting to and fro at the
stream's edge, to combat the aching of my limbs. At last dawn began to
break upon hoar woods and mountains, the sleepers rolled in their robes,
and the boisterous river dashing among spears of ice. I stood looking
about me, swaddled in my stiff coat of a bull's fur, and the breath
smoking from my scorched nostrils, when, upon a sudden, a singular,
eager cry rang from the borders of the wood. The sentries answered it,
the sleepers sprang to their feet; one pointed, the rest followed his
direction with their eyes, and there, upon the edge of the forest, and
betwixt two trees, we beheld the figure of a man reaching forth his
hands like one in ecstasy. The next moment he ran forward, fell on his
knees at the side of the camp, and burst in tears.

This was John Mountain, the trader, escaped from the most horrid perils;
and his first word, when he got speech, was to ask if we had seen
Secundr