and
it was plain that he was not a messenger from Sadler's.

He was rather a large man, dressed in black, and wearing a felt hat with a
wide, straight brim. Hanging by a strap from his shoulder was a small
leather bag, and in his hand he carried a closed umbrella. Advancing
towards the fire, he took off his hat, bowed, and smiled. He wore no
beard, his face was round and plump, and his smile was pleasant.

"Good-evening, ladies and gentlemen," said he, and his voice was as
pleasant as his smile.

"Good-evening," said Mr. Archibald, and then for a moment there was a
pause.

"I presume," said the new-comer, looking about him, "that this is a
camp."

"It is a camp," said Mr. Archibald.

"The fact is so obvious," said the man in black, "that it was really
unnecessary for me to allude to it. May I ask to be allowed to sit down
for a few moments? I am fatigued."

At this juncture Phil Matlack arrived on the scene. "Well, sir," said he,
"have you any business with anybody here? Who do you wish to see?"

"I have no business," said the other, "and--"

"And you are a stranger to everybody here?" interrupted Matlack.

"Yes, but I hope--"

"Now then," said the guide, quickly, "I've got to ask you to move on. This
is one of Peter Sadler's camps, and he has strict rules against strangers
stoppin' in any of them. If you've lost your way, I'll tell you that this
road, if you don't turn to the right or the left, will take you straight
to Sadler's, and there's time enough for you to get there before dark."

"Mr. Matlack," exclaimed Mrs. Archibald, who had risen to her feet, "I
want to speak to you! It's a shame," she said, when the guide had
approached her, "to send that man away without even giving him a chance to
rest himself. He may be a very respectable person on a walking tour."

"I guess he is on a walkin' tour," said Matlack, "and I guess he's a
regular tramp, and there's no orders we've got that's stricter than them
against tramps."

"Well, I don't care who he is," said Mrs. Archibald, "or what your rules
are, but when a perfectly good-mannered man comes to us and asks simply to
be allowed to rest, I don't want him to be driven away as if he were a
stray pig on a lawn. Mr. Archibald, shouldn't he be allowed to rest a
while?"

Her husband rose and approached the stranger. "Where are you going, sir?"
said he.

The man looked at Matlack, at Martin, who stood behind him, and then at
the rest of the company, and