\"Now，\"saidSinclair，\"we’llhaveCrawley。\"
InafewmomentsCrawleycamein，smilingandself—confident，withplentyofnerve，anabundanceofwit，andamostingenuousmanner。
Hemetthechairman’squestionswithreadyassuranceandcorroboratedthestorytoldbyCarroll。HewouldfranklyacknowledgethathehadheardabouttheLostRiver。Indeed，hehadbeenmoreorlessinterestedinitforsomeyearsand，thoughhedidnottakemuchstockinthedoctor’sword，stillhedeclaredthathisowninterestsandtheinterestsofMissMowbray，andindeedofallconcerned，demandedthatthethingwasworthlookinginto。Theyvisitedthelocalityindicatedbythedoctor;theyspentaweekinexploration，butcouldfindnotraceofsuchavaluablemineasthedoctorhaddescribed;andtheyhadcomeawaynotverymuchdisappointed;theyhadhardlyexpectedanyotherresult。TheyhadseenMr。Macgregor’scamp，buttheyhadnotapproachedit;theypassedbyatsomedistance，leavingeverythingundisturbed。
\"YoucampedthatnightneartheOldProspector’sgrave？\"askedSinclair。
\"Yes。\"
\"Thenextdayyousetoffforhome？\"
\"Exactly。\"
\"YouandCarrollwerealwaystogether？\"
\"Certainly。\"
\"Youcamehomebythesametrailandwithoutanyotherexplorations？\"
HereCrawleyhesitatedamoment。\"Well，yes，exceptthatweranupagulchtolookatsomerocks。\"
\"Oh！Didyoufindanything？\"
\"Well，wethinkso，\"saidCrawleypleasantly。
\"Youwentbothtogetherupthegulch？Youwereneverseparated？\"
\"Wewenttogether，yes。\"
\"Anyfurtherquestions，gentlemen？\"
Foratimetherewasnoresponse，thenIkecameslowlyforwardtothetableandstoodbyCrawley’sside。
\"Youdidnotgonearthatcache？\"
\"No，\"saidCrawleyfirmly。
\"Areyoumightysureaboutthat？Betterbesure。\"
\"Iampositivewedidnotgowithintwentyorthirtyyards，\"saidCrawleydefiantly。
\"Allright，Crawley，\"drawledIke，\"betterhaveapipenow。\"Andashespokehethrewdownatobaccopouchonthetable。
Crawleyturnedpale，grippedatthetabletosteadhimself，gazedatthepouchlyingbeforehimforafewmomentsandthenenquiredinavoicethatshookinspiteofallthathecoulddo:\"Whogaveyou——
wheredidyougetthat？\"
\"It’syours，aintit？Gotyournameon，anyway，\"saidIke。\"Wheredidyouleaveit？\"
\"Don’tknow，\"saidCrawley，turninggreenwithterror。
\"Gentlemen，\"saidIke，addressingthecrowd，\"Iaintagoin’tomakenospeechtothisjury，butIwanttoremarkthatthishereblankreptileisablankliar，andifheaintamurderer’tainthisfault。
Thattherepouchofhis，\"continuedIke，puttingalongforefingerdownuponthearticlelyingonthetable，\"thattherepouchofhiswasfoundbythe’Prospector，’asPeraultcallshim，besidethatthereemptycache。That’sallIhavetosay。\"AndIketurnedandwalkedslowlybacktohisseat。
Invainthetremblingwretchtriedfirsttoblusterandthentoexplain。CarrollwasagainsummonedandaffirmedemphaticallythatheandCrawleyhadbeenseparatedforthegreaterpartofoneday，andthatwhiletogethertheyhadnotapproachedMr。Macgregor’scamp。
\"Thatwilldo，Carroll，\"saidSinclairquietly。\"Webelieveyouentirely，andIwouldliketosaythatformypartIammightygladthatyouareentirelyfreedfromsuspicion。\"
\"That’sso，youbet！\"camefromthemenonallsides，asonebyonetheysteppedforwardtoshakeCarrollwarmlybythehand。
\"Now，gentlemen，\"saidSinclair，\"makeyourdecision。Thisman，\"
pointingtoCrawley，\"ischargedwithaseriouscrime。Whatisyourverdict？\"
Onebyonethementhrewintothehatonthetableabitofpaper。
InsilenceSinclairandTheKidreadandrecordedtheballots。WhentheyhadfinishedSinclairstoodup，lookingsternlyatCrawley，andsaid:
\"Mr。Crawley，thisCommitteesayunanimouslythatyouareguilty。
Haveyouanythingtosaybeforesentenceispronounced？\"
Thewretchedcreaturefellonhiskneeswithtearsandcriesentreatingmercy。
\"Takehimaway，\"saidSinclairsternly。\"Now，gentlemen，whathaveyoutosay？Whatshallbedonetothismanwhomyouhavedecidedtobeguiltyofmurder？\"
Thediscussionwhichfollowedwaslongandbitter。Sinclairandthosewhohadcomemorerecentlytothecountrywereforhandinghimovertothepolice。
\"What’sthegoodofthat，Sinclair？\"demandedMacnamara，oneoftheold—timers。
\"Well，he’llgetjusticesure;he’llgetsentup。\"
\"Don’tknowaboutthat，\"saidIke。\"Yousee，youcan’tproveanythingbutstealin’，andyoucan’tprovethat，forsure。They’lltakehimdowntoRegina，andtheyaintgoingtogivehimmuchdownthereforstealin’alittlegrub。\"
\"Well，whatdoyoupropose？\"saidSinclair。
\"Well，\"saidIke，\"hangin’stoogoodforhim。Heoughttobehung，but’taintthecustominthisherecountry，Iunderstand，andI
surmisewe’dbetterscarethedaylightsoutofhimandgivehimtwelvehourstogetout。\"
AftersomefurtherdiscussionIke’spropositionwasaccepted。ThatnightfourmaskedmentookCrawleyoutoftheroomwherehehadbeenkeptaprisonerandledhimoutofthevillageandupthetrailtothewoods，andthere，unheedinghisprayersandcriesandgroans，theymadesolemnpreparationsforhisexecution。InthemidstoftheirpreparationsSinclair，withanumber。ofothers，camegallopingupanddemandedtheprisoner’srelease，andafteralongandbitterdiscussionitwasfinallyagreedthatCrawleyshouldbegiventwelvehourstoleavethecountry，whichdecisionwasjoyfullyandtearfullyacceptedbytheterror—strickenwretch。
\"Hello，oldman，there’saletterforyouinmyrooms。Thoughtyou’dbeinto—day，sotookcareofitforyou。\"FatherMikedrewnearShock’sbuckboardandgreetedhimcordially。\"ByJove！what’sthematterwithyou？Whathaveyoubeendoingtoyourself？\"heexclaimed，lookingkeenlyintoShock’sface。
\"Iamratherseedy，\"saidShock。\"Playedout，indeed。\"AndhegaveFatherMikeanaccountofhislastweek’sexperience。
\"GreatCaesar！\"exclaimedFatherMike，\"thatwasaclosething。Comerightalongandstretchyourselfoutofmycouch。Acupofteawilldoyougood。\"Shock，gladlyacceptingtheinvitation，wentwithhim。
\"There’syourletter，\"saidFatherMike，ashesetShockinhisdeeparmchair。\"YoureaditwhileImaketea。\"
Theletterwas，asFatherMikehadsaid，afatone。ItwasfromhisConvenerandranthus:
\"MYDEARMR。MACGREGOR:\"
\"TheenclosedletterfromtheSuperintendentwillexplainitself。
YouareinstructedtowithdrawforthwithyourservicesfromtheFort。Iknowyouwillbedisappointed。ThisisthesortofthingthatmakesourworkintheWestdepressing:notbigblizzardsnorsmallgrants，butfailureonthepartofEasternmentounderstandourneedsandtoappreciatethetremendousimportanceoftheseyearstotheWest。Nevermind，ourdaywillcome。IregretgreatlythattheCommitteeshouldhavebeeninfluencedbythepetitionenclosed。
Donotletthisworryyou。TheSuperintendent’sP。S。isduetosomemisunderstanding。Ihavewrittenhimonthismatter。Weknowsomeofyourdifficultiesandwehaveeveryconfidenceinyou，\"etc。，etc。
FromtheSuperintendent’slettertheConvenerhadenclosedthefollowingextracts:
\"IthasbeendecidedtowithdrawourservicesfromtheFort。IhadastifffightintheCommittee，butfailed;theywereallagainstme。
Dr。Macfarrenespeciallyso——hadprivateinformation（fromhisbrother，Isuppose）;presentedapetition，whichfindenclosed;
protestedagainstthewasteoffunds，etc。，etc。Thispreciouspetition，bytheway，seemedtoinfluencetheCommitteegreatly。I
neednottellyouitfailedtoinfluenceme，unlessindeedasanevidenceoftheneedofourservicesinthatplace。YouandIhaveseenthissortofthingbeforeintheWest。YoungLloydoftheParkChurch，too，waseloquentinopposing——theoldstory，fundsoverlapping，denominationalrivalry。Theseyoungmen，whodeclinetofacethefrontier，wouldshowbettertasteinseekingtolearnsomethingoftheWestthaninhamperingthosewhoaregivingtheirlivestothiswork。TheupholsteredseatoftheParkChurchpulpitdoesnotinducetheliveliestsympathywiththeWesternconditions。
MeantimetheConvenersitsonthechest，andtherestoftheCommitteeseemtofeelthattheirchiefdutyliesincuttingdownexpensesandthatthehighestpossibleachievementistheirmeetingtheAssemblywithoutadeficit。\"
\"P。S。——Dr。MacfarrenhintedagooddealatwantoftactonthepartofourMissionary，andyoungLloyd，whoknowsMacgregor，seemedtoconsiderthisquitepossible。OurMissionarymustnotantagonisemenunnecessarily。Sendhimthisletterifyouthinkwell;Ialwaysliketodealfranklywithourmen，\"etc。，etc。
AsShookreadthelettersandglancedatthepetitionhislookofwearinesspassedawayandtheoldscrimmagesmilecamebacktohisface。\"Readthat，\"hesaid，handingtheletterstoFatherMike，whoreadtheminsilence。
\"Withdraw！\"heexclaimedinastonishmentwhenhehadfinishedreading。\"Andwhy，pray？\"
\"Oh！don’tyousee，’fundsoverlapping，denominationalrivalry’？\"
\"’Overlapping，rivalry，’rot！YoucannotdomyworkhereandI
cannotdoyours。Isay，thispetitionwouldberichifitwerenotsodamnable，\"addedFatherMike，glancingatthedocument。
\"’Whereas，thetownisamplysuppliedwithchurchservicesthereisnodesireforservicesbythePresbyterians’——orbyanyothersforthatmatter，\"interjectedFatherMike。\"Letusseewhosignsthisblessedpaper？Macfarren。He’sabeautifulchurchman。InspectorHaynes。What’shegottodowithit？Frank，Smith，Crozier！Why，thethingisafarce！Notamanofthemevergoestochurch。’Whereas，thePresbyteriansarequiteunabletoassumeanyfinancialobligationinsupportofaminister。’Why，thewholeoutfitdoesn’tcontributeadollaramonth。Isn’titpreposterous，abeastlyhumbug！Whoisthisyoungwhipper—snapper，Lloyd，pray？\"FatherMike’stonewasfullofcontempt。
Shockwinced。Hisfriendhadtouchedtheonly，placeleftrawbytheletter。\"Heisacollegefriendofmine，\"heansweredquickly。\"A
finefellowandagreatpreacher。\"
\"Oh！\"repliedFatherMikedrily。\"Ibegpardon。Well，whatwillyoudo？\"
\"Withdraw，\"saidShocksimply。\"Ihaven’tmadeitgo，anyway。\"
\"Rot！\"saidFatherMike，withgreatemphasis。\"Macfarrendoesn’twantyou，andpossiblytheInspectorsharesinthatfeeling，——I
guessyouknowwhy，butyouareneededinthistown，andneededbadly。\"
ButShockonlyreplied\"Ishallwithdraw。Ihavebeenratherafailure，Iguess。Let’stalknomoreaboutit。\"
\"Allright，oldchap，\"saidFatherMike。\"Comealongtotea。IwishtoHeaventhereweremorefailureslikeyouinthecountry。\"
Shock’slastserviceattheFortmarkedhisemancipationasapreacheroftheGospel。Hithertothepresenceofthosewhomheknewtobeindifferentorcontemptuouslycriticalhadwroughtinhimaself—consciousnessthatconfusedhisthought，cloggedhisemotion，andhamperedhisspeech。Thisnightallwaschanged。Thehallwasfull;theInspectorandhiswife，withthemenfromthebarracks，Macfarrenandhisfollowers，GeneralBradyandhisgracious，sweet—
facedwife，wereallthere。IkeandTheKid——whoseranchlayhalfwaybetweentheLakeandtheForthadriddenin，andfarbackinthedimdarknessofacornersatthedoctor。AsShockstoodupandlookedintothefacesofthemenbeforehimandthoughtoftheirlives，lonely，tempted，franklywicked，someofthemfardownindegradation，heforgothimself，hissuccess，orhisfailure。Whatmatteredthat！Howpettyseemednowallhisconsiderationsforhimself！Menwerebeforehimwhobyreasonofsinwereinsoreneedofhelp。Hebelievedhehadwhattheyneeded。Howtogiveittothem，thatwasthequestion。Withthisfeelingofsympathyandcompassion，deepenedandintensifiedbyapoignantsenseoffailure，Shockstooduptodelivertothemhislastmessage。Hewouldspeakthetruthto—night，andspeakithedid，withoutatingeofembarrassmentorfear。Ashiswordsbegantoflowhebecameconsciousofanewstrength，ofanewfreedom，andthejoyofhisnewstrengthandfreedomswepthimalongonafulltideofburningspeech。Heabandonedhisnotes，fromwhichhehadhithertofearedtobefarseparated;heleftthedesk，whichhadbeentohimabarricadefordefence，andstoodupbeforethepeople。HisthemewasthestoryoftheleprousmanwhodaredtocometotheGreatHealerinallthehideousnessofhisdiseaseandwhowasstraightwaycleansed。Afterreadingthewordshestoodfacingthemafewmomentsinsilenceandthen，withoutanymannerofintroduction，hebegan:
\"That’swhatyouwant，men。Youneedtobemadeclean，youneedtobemadestrong。\"Thepeoplestaredathimasifhehadgonemad，itwassounlikehisusualformal，awkwardself。Quietly，butwithintenseandseriousearnestness，hespoketothemoftheirsins，theirdrunkenorgies，theirawfulprofanity，theirdisregardofeverythingreligious，theiropenvicesandsecretsins。
\"Say，\"saidIketoTheKid，whosatnexttohim，\"they’llbegettin’
outtheirgunssure！\"Buttherewasnoangerinthefaceslifteduptothespeaker;thematterwastooseriousforangerandthetonewastookindlyforoffence。WithouthesitationShockwentonwithhisterriblyrelentlessindictmentofthemenwhosatbeforehim。
Then，withaswiftchangeoftoneandthought，hecriedinavoicevibratingwithcompassion:
\"Andyoucannothelpit，men！Thepityofitis，youcannothelpit！
Youcannotchangeyourhearts;youlovethesethings，youcannotshakethemoff，theyhavegrownuponyouandhavebecomeyourfixedhabits。Someofyouhavetried:Iknowyouhavehadyourperiodsofremorseandyouhavesoughttoescape，butyouhavefailed。\"
Hepausedamoment，andthencontinuedinavoicehumbleandremorseful:
\"Ihavefailed，too。IthoughtinmyprideandmyfollythatIcouldhelpyou，butIhavefailed。Wehavefailedtogether，men——whatthenisbeforeus？\"
Hisvoicetookadeepertone，hismannerwasearnestlyrespectfulandtenderlysympathetic，ashesetbeforethemtheDivineMan，soquicktosympathise，soreadyandsopowerfultohelp。
\"Heisthesameto—night，men！AppealtoHimandHewillrespondasHedidtothispoorleprousman。\"
Overandoveragainheurgedthisuponthem，heapingargumentuponargument，seekingtopersuadethemthatitwasworthwhilemakingtheattempt。
\"Say，boss，seemsreasonable，don’tit，andeasy，too？\"saidIketoTheKid，whowaslisteningwithfacepaleandintent。TheKidnoddedwithoutmovinghiseagereyesfromthespeaker’sface。
\"ButIcan’tjustgitthethrow，quite，\"continuedIke，withapuzzledair。
\"Hush，listen！\"saidTheKidsharply。Shockhadpausedabruptly。Forafewmomentshestoodlookingintotheeyesofthemengapingbackathimwithsuchintenseeagerness;thenleaningforwardalittlehesaidinavoicelow，butthrillingwithemotions:
\"Doesanymanherethinkhisfatherormotherhasforgottenhimordoesnotcarewhathappenstohim？\"
Shockwasthinkingofhisowndearoldmother，separatedfromhimbysomanyleaguesofemptyprairie，butsoneartohiminloveandsympathy。
\"Doesanymanthinkso？\"herepeated，\"anddoyouthinkyourFatherinHeavendoesnotcare？Oh！donotthinkso！\"Hisvoiceroseinacryofentreaty。Theeffectwastremendous。
\"GodinHeaven，helpme！\"criedTheKidtohimselfwithasobinhisvoice。
\"Metoo，boss，\"saidIkegravely，puttinghishandontheother’sknee。
Shock’sfarewellwasasabruptashisbeginning。Inasinglesentenceheinformedthemthattheserviceswouldbediscontinuedatthisendofthefield。Hewishedhecouldhaveservedthembetter;
heknewhehadfailed;heaskedtheirforgivenessashehadalreadyaskeditofhisGod;but，thoughhehadfailed，hecommendedthemtoHimwhohadneverfailedanymanappealingtoHimforhelp。
Therewasnohymn，butinasimple，shortprayertheservicewasclosed，andbeforethecongregationhadrecoveredfromtheiramazementShockhadpassedoutthroughthebackdoor。
\"Well，I’llbeblanked！\"saidIke，withagasp。
\"Quitthat，Ike，\"saidTheKidsharply。\"Lookhere——Iamgoingtoquitswearingrightnow，sohelpme。\"
\"Allright，boss，I’mwithyou;putitthere。\"
ThenabovethehumofconversationGeneralBrady’svoicewasheard:
\"Gentlemen，itismyopinionthatwehavelostagreatmanto—night，afearlessmanandaChristiangentleman。\"
\"That’smyentireprognostication，General，\"saidIke，withgreatemphasis。
MeantimeShockhadgonesearchingthroughthehotelsforthedoctor，whomhehadseenslippingoutbeforetheclosingprayer。Butthedoctorwasnowheretobeseen，andindespairShockwenttoFatherMike。Hefoundthatgentlemaninastateofenthusiasticexcitement。
\"Mydearfellow，mydearfellow，\"heexclaimed，\"thatwasgreat！\"
\"What？\"saidShocksimply。
\"Thatsermon，man。Iwouldgivemyhandtopreachlikethat。\"
\"Preach？\"saidShock。\"Ididn’tpreach。Didyouseethedoctor？\"
\"Nevermindthedoctor，\"saidFatherMike。\"Comein，Iwanttotalkwithyou;comein。\"
\"No，Imustseethedoctor。\"
\"Well，then，wait;Iwillgowithyou。\"
Shockhesitated。\"IthinkIwouldrathergoalone，ifyoudon’tmind，\"hesaid。
\"Allright，oldchap，\"saidFatherMike，\"Iunderstand。Thedoor’salwaysopenandthekettleon。\"
\"Thankyou，\"saidShock。\"YouknowhowIappreciatethat，\"andhewentout。
TherewasalightinMacfarren’soffice。Shockknockedatthedoorandwentin。HefoundthedoctorandMacfarrenseatedbyatable，uponwhichwereglassesandabottle。Thedoctorwaspale，nervous，shaking。
\"Sitdown，Mr。Macgregor，\"saidMacfarren，withmorecordialitythanhehadevershowntoShockbefore。
\"Iwasjustsayingtothedoctorthatthatwasafinediscourse，averyablediscourse，Mr。Macgregor。\"
Shockmadenoreply，butstoodlookingatthedoctor。
\"Iwouldliketosay，\"continuedMacfarren，\"thatIregretyourleavingus。Ibelieve，onthewhole，itisamistake;werequirepreachinglikethat。\"TherewasatouchofrealearnestnessinMacfarren’stone。
\"Mr。Macfarren，\"saidShock，\"IamsorryIhavenotbeenabletohelpyou。Youneedhelp，youneedhelpbadly。JesusChristcanhelpyou。Goodnight。\"Hetookthedoctor’sarmand，helpinghimup，walkedoffwithhim。
\"Whatdoyouwant？\"saidthedoctorfiercely，whentheywereoutside。
\"Doctor，Iwantyourhelp。Ifeelweak。\"
\"Weak！GreatHeavensabove！YOUtalkofweakness？Don’tmockme！\"
\"Itistrue，doctor;comealong。\"
\"Whereareyougoing？\"saidthedoctor。
\"Idon’tknow，\"saidShock。\"Letusgotoyouroffice。\"
Thedoctor’sofficewasacheerlessroom，dusty，disordered，andcomfortless。Thedoctorsatdowninachair，laidhisheadonthetable，andgroaned。\"Itisnogood，itisnogood。Itried，Itriedhonestly。Iprayed，Ievenhopedforatime——thisisallgoneI
brokemyword，Ibetrayedmytrusteventothedead。Allislost！\"
\"Doctor，\"saidShockquietly，\"Iwishthatyouwouldlookatmeandtellmewhat’sthematterwithme。Icannoteat，Icannotsleep，andyetIamweary。Ifeelweakanduseless——cannotyouhelpme？\"
Thedoctorlookedathimkeenly。\"You’renotplayingwithme，areyou？No，byJove！youarenot。Youdolookbad——letmelookatyou。\"
Hisprofessionalinterestwasaroused。HeturnedupthelampandexaminedShockthoroughly。
\"Whathaveyoubeendoing？What’sthecauseofthisthing？\"heenquired，atlength，asifhefearedtoask。
Shockgavehimanaccountofhistendays’experienceinthemountains，sparingnothing。Thedoctorlistenedinanagonyofself—
reproach。
\"Itwasmyfault，\"hegroaned，\"itwasallmyfault。\"
\"Notawordofthat，doctor，please。Itwasnotinyourhandsorinmine。TheLostRiverislost，notbyanyman’sfault，butbythewillofGod。Now，tellme，whatdoIneed？\"
\"Nothing，nothingatallbutrestandsleep。Rest;foraweek，\"saidthedoctor。
\"Well，then，\"saidShock，\"Iwantyoutocomeandlookaftermeforaweek。Ineedyou;youneedme;we’llhelpeachother。\"
\"Oh，God！Oh，God！\"groanedthedoctor，\"whatistheuse？Youknowthereisnouse。\"
\"Doctor，Itoldyoubeforethatyouaresayingwhatisbothfalseandfoolish。\"
\"Iremember，\"saidthedoctorbitterly。\"Youspokeofcommonsenseandhonesty。\"
\"Yes，andIsaysoagain，\"repliedShock。\"Commonsenseandhonestyiswhatyouneed。Listen——Iamnotgoingtopreach，Iamdonewiththatforto—night——butyouknowaswellasIdothatwhenamanfacestherightwayGodisreadytobackhimup。Itiscommonsensetobankonthat，isn’tit？Commonsense，andnothingelse。ButI
wanttosaythis，you’vegottobehonestwithGod。You’venotbeenfair。Yousayyou’veprayed——\"
\"GodknowsIhave，\"saidthedoctor。
\"Yes，\"saidShock，withatouchofscorninhisvoice，\"you’veprayed，andthenyouwentintothesameoldplacesandwiththesameoldcompanions，andsoyoufindyourselfwhereyouareto—night。Youcannotcureanymanofdiseaseifhebreakseveryregulationyoumakewhenyourbackisturned。GiveGodachance，that’sallIask。
BedecentlysquarewithHim。There’slotsofmysteryinreligion，butitisnotthere。Comealongnow，youaregoinghomewithme。\"
\"No，sir，\"saidthedoctordecidedly。\"Ishallfightitoutalone。\"
\"Willyouwalk，orshallIcarryyou？\"saidShockquietly。
Thedoctorgazedathim。\"Oh，confoundyou！\"hecried，\"I’ll\"——Hestoppedshortandputtinghisfacedownuponthetableagainheburstintoastormofsobsandcried，\"Oh，Iamweak，Iamweak，letmego，letmego，Iamnotworthit！\"
ThenShockgotdownbesidehim，puthisarmaroundhisshoulder，andsaid:\"Icannotletyougo，doctor。Iwantyou。AndyourFatherinHeavenwantsyou。Come，\"hecontinuedafterapause，\"we’llwinyet。\"
ForhalfanhourtheywalkedthestreetsandthenturnedintoFatherMike’squarters。
\"FatherMike，\"saidShock，openingthedoor，\"wewantcoffee，andI’mhungrierthanI’vebeenforthreedays。\"
\"Comein，\"saidFatherMike，withakeenglanceatthedoctor，\"comein，brothermine。You’veearnedyourgrubthisday。\"
XVI
\"STAYATYOURPOST，LAD\"
RelievedfromhisstationattheFort，Shockwasabletodevotehimselfentirelytothewesternpartofhisfield，whichembracedtheLoonLakedistrictandextendedtwenty—fivemilesuptothePass，andhethrewhimselfwithredoubledenergyintohisworkofexplorationandorganisation。Longagohislittlecayusehadbeenfoundquiteunequaltothetaskofkeepingpacewiththetremendousenergyofhisdriver，andsoforthelongerjourneysShockhadcometodependmainlyuponBob，thegreatrangeysorrelsenthimbytheHamiltonboys，theonlyconditionattachedtothegiftbeingthatheshouldallowBobtovisittheranchatleastonceamonth。AndsoitcamethatShockandhissorrelbronchobecamewidelyknownovertherangesofallthatcountry。Manyalittleshackinfarawayvalleys，whereawomanwithherchildrenlivedinisolatedseclusionfromalltheworld，hediscoveredandbroughtintotouchwiththeworldabout，andbymeansofbooksandmagazinesandillustratedpapersbroughttoheartssickwithlongingsomeofthecolourandbrightnessfromthegreatworldbeyond，sooftenfondlylongedfor。
Manyacowboy，wildandreckless，witheverylinkofkin—shipbroken，anunrelatedunitofhumanitykeepinglonelywatchoverhisbunchofcattle，foundinShockafriend，andestablishedthroughhimanewabondwithhumansociety。ThehourspentwithShockinridingaroundthecattleoftenbroughttothisbitofhumandriftwoodanewrespectforhimself，anewsenseofresponsibilityforlife，andanewestimateoftheworthofhismanhood。AwayupinthePass，too，wheretheminerslivedandwroughtunderconditionswretched，debasing，andfraughtwithdanger，andwhereintheforest—campsthelumbermenlivedlivesmorewholesome，butmorelonely，Shockfoundscopeforthefullenergyofhispassiontohelpandserve。
\"Ahospitaliswhattheyneeduphere，doctor！\"heexclaimedonedayaftertheyhadmadeatourthroughtheshacksandbunkswheremensickandinjuredlayintheiruncaredformisery。\"Ahospitaliswhattheywant，andsomekindofahomelikeplacewheretheycanmeettogether。AndbyGod’shelpwe’llgetthis，too，whenourhandsaresomewhatfree。Wehaveallwecandoforthenextfewweeks。\"
Andsotheyhad。