TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 247 



" 'Twas a game of poker." The red-grey head 

 nodded towards the Pacific Coast, as though locating 

 the scene of the catastrophe. " He cheated, and 

 wal, I shot him dead!" 



We went on eating, to all appearance quite uncon- 

 cernedly, though I remember being thankful that 

 Steve sat out of earshot. 



" You'll not give me away," said the great rugged 

 creature, with a kind of certain confidence. "I'm 

 glad I told you, guess it's kind of lonesome up here." 



"How long must you remain?" I asked, a wave 

 of pity for the broken man surging in me. " Surely 

 you will not winter at this altitude?" 



"No," he said, dully, "when winter comes I'll 

 turn trapper, and take to the woods." 



A group of four rams passed below, pulling up to 

 graze; the Leader picked up his rifle, handling it as 

 though he was glad to be recalled to the present, 

 sighted carefully, and bang ! Another try. The 

 rams raced off, but one lagged behind, going with 

 difficulty. A well-planted bullet finished the busi- 

 ness, and the sheep jumped clean into the air, an 

 expiring effort, then fell a-heap. 



As the Leader ran forward down the hill to in- 

 vestigate he put his foot into a pitfall that waited for 

 the unwary, and fell heavily. He was in great pain, 

 too great to bear sympathy just then. I have always 

 found that the axiom about a woman being such a 

 ministering angel rather vague and indefinite. Cer- 

 tainly it says, " When pain and anguish wring the 

 brow, a ministering angel thou." It all depends upon 



