I hope you will get safely
to your journey's end, and find your father and mother well. We hope
we shall hear good news of you later on, and, remember, we shall always
be glad to see you here. Next time you must pay us a longer visit.'

'Thank you very much, ma'am, for being so good to me,' said Jack, who
was too overcome to say much. The Stuarts had, indeed, treated the
little wanderer kindly. That morning he had begged his hostess to take
some of his packet of money (which Pedro had already refused), but she
declined to accept it.

'My dear child!' she exclaimed, quite horrified at the idea, 'how could
you suppose we would dream of taking any money from you?' And when he
said good-bye to her husband, the good-natured Englishman slipped a
twenty-five dollar bill into his hand, saying, 'There, Jack, my boy!
you're an honest lad, I feel sure, and I'd like to give you this little
nest-egg to help you on.'

No wonder Jack was almost speechless; but his new, kind friends
understood and appreciated his silent gratitude far more than if he had
poured forth volumes of thanks.

Mrs. Stuart had given him a warm blanket and a woollen helmet for his
head, and Jack found the comfort of them very soon, as--though the
morning was bright and clear when they started--it got intensely cold
as they got higher up the mountains. The road was very steep and
rocky, and covered with small boulders, so that it was impossible to go
faster than at a walk. They quickly left all ranches and signs of
civilization behind, and came into a wonderfully wild region. Part of
their way lay through a dense forest of pines, where some of the trees
had been cut down, and dragged on one side to make a rough road for
travellers. It was very lonely, and not a sound to be heard except the
noise of the wheels and the mule's feet moving over the rocks.

[Illustration: 'THROUGH A DENSE FOREST OF PINES.']

Jack looked once or twice at fallen trunks of trees, half fearing that
a bear might be concealed behind them; but Joe assured him there was
little chance of their seeing one at that time.

'Most of 'em 'll be hibernating--going to sleep in their dens for the
winter,' he said; 'and if we did meet one, he'd be more likely to run
away than to face us.'

'Is that so?' asked Jack in surprise.

'Yes,' replied the hunter; 'a bear 'll avoid a man as a rule, unless
it's wounded, or it's a she-bear with cubs. Those 'll fight, sure
enough, and dangerous