VI Mountain Jims End 177 



roof over the door, and a big door-step ; and the 

 door opened immediately into our apartment, which, 

 for the comfort of its owner, actually contained a 

 real bed. Outside were some bits of sweet pasture 

 divided from one another by scrambling, untidy 

 snake fences — more Americano — and with the rocks 

 showing through the surface here and there, a corral 

 for cattle, and a few clumps of firs — in fact, the 

 earlier form of the Western log ranch. The only 

 thing there which you did not usually find on the 

 Western ranch was one of those curious machines, 

 consisting principally of a pair of wheels, which seem 

 necessary all the world over for the bringing down 

 of heavy timber from the forest. So much for the 

 still life outside. For the more or less active life 

 within, take Griff, the Welshman, dozing in his bed 

 by the open door, and a wandering Englishman, who 

 was dawdling about in those parts under the pretence 

 of hunting, seated on the door-step — everything as 

 calm and as peaceful as the top of the Great Pyramid 

 on a fine day. Then to them comes Mountain Jim 

 walking, with his pony, and he, sheltering himself in 

 a queer way behind the wheels of the timber machine, 

 evidently tries " to draw a bead " on the seated 

 Englishman. Luckily for the latter, Jim had, some 

 time previously, had a desperate fight with a grizzly 

 bear, who had mauled him in the most frightful 

 manner, and, amongst other injuries, had scratched 

 across the right eye, causing an adhesion between 

 the lid and the eye itself, without, however, seriously 



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