THE LONG TRAIL 



himself found in reading. His efforts 

 were not always crowned with success. 

 Father felt that our African companion, 

 R. J. Cuninghame, the "Bearded Mas- 

 ter," as the natives called him, being 

 Scotch should be interested in Scott's 

 novels, so he selected from the "Pigskin 

 Library" a copy of one of them — Waver- 

 ly, I think it was. For some weeks Cun- 

 inghame made progress, not rapid, it is 

 true, for he confessed to finding the notes 

 the most interesting part of the book ; then 

 one day when they were sitting under a 

 tree together in a rest during the noonday 

 heat, and father, in accordance with his 

 invariable custom, took out a book from 

 his saddle-pocket, R. J. produced Wav- 

 erly and started industriously to work on 

 it. Father looked over his shoulder to see 

 wliere he had got to, and, to his amused 

 delight, found that Cuninghame had been 

 58 



