MY GUIDE 59 



Mark ? " He was about 6 ft. 2 in., with shoulders in 

 proportion, and all the fat that such a superficial area 

 might claim transmuted into solid muscle. He had 

 inherited a farm as a youth, and with it incipient 

 consumption. The damp, low-lying soil threatening 

 to claim him for its own, he applied for the post 

 of ranger. During the early days of service he had 

 scarcely sufficient strength to cover the tramp 

 through the forest that was assigned him. His 

 companions, in true camaraderie spirit, divided up his 

 share of baggage between them, and slowly but 

 surely the new recruit throve and grew until he 

 became a son of Anak. The forest became to him 

 the very breath of life. He revelled in its sights and 

 sounds. A man of liberal education and quick wit, 

 he mastered most of its branches of natural history, 

 knew the name of every flower and shrub, and the 

 ways and haunts of its wild denizens. 



If these lines are ever scanned by him, let them 

 be the assurance of my sense of indebtedness for the 

 delightful days we spent together. Mark, I am with 

 you again, shooting the Muskoka rapids, leaping 

 on to the ledge of rock and holding the canoe that 

 you feared was ripped on the shallows. I watch 

 your face as you narrate many a thrilling adventure. 

 I see you turning out and lying on the hard ground 

 to give shelter to the two drenched tourists swamped 

 in their camp on the night of the terrific thunder- 

 storm. I call to mind our last words, our final 



