Part 48 (1/2)
A shadowy form appeared against the gleaming water and stopped.
”What do you want?” Carnally asked. ”Are you alone?”
”Something to eat,” said the stranger. ”There's n.o.body with me.”
”One of the Mappin crowd, I guess. Where's the rest of you?”
”I don't know. It's three or four days since I left them.”
”Then you can come along. I see you have a gun. If you're wise, you'll keep it at the trail.”
”Don't be scared,” said the other, advancing, ”I'm not looking for trouble.”
In a few moments he entered the firelight and stopped at a motion from Carnally--a ragged and very weary man, with a pinched and eager look in his face.
”Now,” said Carnally, ”what brought you here?”
”I'm starving,” the man replied; and Andrew thought his appearance bore it out.
He sat down, with the rifle he had carried across his arm, and Carnally indicated the frying-pan.
”There's a bannock and some pork yonder. It won't take long to warm up, but before you get any, we must have a talk. Why did you leave the rest of Mappin's hobos?”
”We wrecked our canoe in a rapid and lost all the grub. There was some trouble about it, and when the others turned back to make the cache I allowed I'd follow you. Missed your trail once or twice, but I figured on the line you'd take and picked it up again.”
Andrew thought the tale was plausible, and a bruise on the man's face seemed to corroborate it, as it hinted at the reason for his leaving his comrades.
”Will they follow us up?” he asked.
”Can't tell,” said the stranger. ”They'd be mighty hungry when they made the cache. Anyhow, I'd had enough of them.”
”Give him some supper,” said Andrew.
Graham put on the frying-pan, and in a few minutes the man fell upon the food ravenously. When he had finished he felt for his pipe and ruefully put it back. Andrew laughed and threw him a pouch of cut tobacco.
”You're white,” said the stranger with a curious look.
While he lighted his pipe Carnally, leaning quickly forward, picked up his rifle and flung it into the lake.
”Why did you do that?” the fellow asked in anger.
”You'll have something else to carry and one gun's enough for this crowd,” Carnally significantly replied.
”Then you don't mean to fire me out?”
”Oh, no! I guess we'll engage you as packer, but I must speak to the boss first,” and Carnally led Andrew a short distance back into the shadow.
”Is it wise to take the rascal with us?” Andrew asked.