256 Reminiscences of 



fail to turn up on occasional days after being paid off, 

 and his appearance when coming on again created an 

 impression in my mind that he had been on a baccha- 

 nalian revel ; and I was informed that he was not averse 

 to such occasions, and that his squaw often collected 

 his dues from Frazer for herself and children at home, 

 resulting sometimes in a more highly opaque coloring 

 to her visual organs than before for, sad to relate, 

 Joe had the reputation of being a wife-beater. I had 

 reason to think that my stock of Jock Scots and sun- 

 dry flies from my fly book were to some extent de- 

 pleted while in his care during meal times, which might, 

 however, have been unaccountably blown away. 



One day I lost one of my sleeve-buttons from 

 my cuff, which I had observed hung loosely while 

 I was engaged with a salmon, and was missing when 

 I went to my noon meal, and which I supposed might 

 have dropped in the boat. It was one of a very valu- 

 able pair to me, being made up of two ancient silver 

 coins of the Roman Empire which I had obtained in 

 1868 from the ruins of Pompeii, with other relics from 

 the excavations there. When I returned to my canoe for 

 the afternoon fishing, I informed my guides of the loss, 

 but they had seen nothing of the button, and the boat 

 was clean and drawn up on the shore, bottom side up 

 as usual. A diligent search was made at the landing 

 where the boat was drawn up, but without result. I 

 was quite annoyed at the loss, and somehow felt a tele- 

 pathic impression that Joe knew something more about 

 it than I did. Thinking it over in the afternoon fish- 

 ing, I concluded to make a new approach to Joe on the 

 subject and to offer him five dollars if he could succeed 

 in finding the button, which I felt sure must be some- 



