Tbe Conversion of Trapper Lewis 261 



their experiences, but they were merely picturesque 

 old liars. The real trapper and hunter, the man who 

 had trailed across the continent, and who knew the 

 secrets of woodcraft, was Lewis. He had mined, 

 prospected, trapped, and hunted in the far west and 

 north for at least forty years, and I pined to know 

 him and gain his confidence. Many attempts had 

 failed, many drinks had been uselessly paid for. I 

 had tackled him every way I could think of, yet all 

 I had received in return had been an occasional 

 " Hello, Canady," when he chanced to be feeling 

 particularly genial, and perhaps a few muttered re- 

 marks when he agreed to swallow drinks at my 

 expense. 



Lewis was not much to look at. He was short, 

 thin, and did not weigh more than one hundred and 

 thirty pounds. His face was brown as a mink pelt, 

 much wrinkled, and marked with a ghastly white 

 scar obtained years before in a set-to with a wounded 

 grizzly. Hair, stubby beard, and eyebrows of yellow- 

 ish white contrasted curiously with his dark skin 

 and beady eyes. Taken all in all he reminded me 

 of an ancient monkey. Despite his habitual loung- 

 ing walk and battered exterior he was full of vigor, 

 and quick as a cat if occasion demanded. His gait 

 in the woods, or on a trail, was not so very fast, but 

 he could apparently stay forever, and, as I found out 

 later, he had a peculiar knack of wriggling through 

 rough places which would bafHe many larger and 

 more powerful men. His favorite weapon was a 

 double, muzzle-loading rifle of the old-fashioned 

 " over-and-under " pattern, and with this rifle, or with 

 any large revolver, he could do some cracking good 



