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looked. Not a vestige of anything eatable was to be found. Then they went to the door of the hut and looked out. The wind was still blowing a hurricane, but the snow seemed to be lessening in thickness, and Jack resolved that if it stopped that day, he would take his rifle and try to get something to eat before he became too weak to do so, even if the storm abated. Better to be lost in a snowstorm and freeze to death, he thought, while trying to save yourself and friend, than to sit supinely at home waiting for a horrible fate. So they both set to work with spades to clear an exit from the house, growing exhausted and stopping to rest every few minutes-still, making way slowly.

By the afternoon there was a decided lull in the storm, the wind had dropped a good deal, and the snow ceased entirely; so Jack fortified himself with a hot glass of spirits and stepped out into the white desert, realising fully that should it begin to snow again before he could return, his tracks would be covered up, and he might wander round and round the house until he dropped, without ever seeing one sign by which to find his way.

However, there must be exceptions to every rule, and for once the bad luck which pursued him all his life gave way to a better fortune; for the snow held up, and he had not wandered more than a

mile from home when he sighted a fine elk, and brought it down with the first barrel. It fell in an inaccessible place, and he had to go back for his companion; but between them they soon extricated their prize and dragged it home in triumph. How good their supper was! and how their spirits rose when freed from the awful dread of the last few days.

The storm came on worse than ever that night, but next day abated again, and then gradually died away, not to return that winter; so that, before the last bones of the elk were picked clean, there was once more a trail between the camps, and the worst was over. Jack was not given to shirking danger; but all the same, when spring arrived and the snow began to melt, he felt that, all things considered, he had had more narrow escapes in the last few months than he should care to crowd again into a single winter.

CHAPTER X.

AFFAIRS AT DENVER.

SPRING IN A WESTERN MINING - CAMP HEAVY OUTLAY ON THE 66 GREAT WHALE MINES -A CONSULTATION ON THE SUBJECT NECESSARY-STARTS FOR NEW YORK-STAY AT BOSTON-AMERICAN HOSPITALITY -THE VARIETY OF RELIGIONS IN BOSTON LARGE SPIRITUALISTIC ELEMENT IN ITS SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT-ANECDOTE OF A SÉANCE HIS INTEREST IN THE PSYCHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY-SAILS FOR ENGLAND FAMILY CALLS MARRIAGE AND RETURN TO DENVER- METHODS OF OBTAINING CAMP-SUPPLIES-A MYSTERIOUS PEDLAR-TRAPPING BEAR-AN AMUSING CLIMAX-THE GREAT ECLIPSE IN THE ROCKIES-A MAGNIFICENT SPECTACLE-EFFECT OF THE PHENOMENON ON A PARTY OF UTES-JACK JEBB AND HIS NEIGHBOURS-A REMARKABLE FEAT.

WITH the advent of milder weather the trails became passable once more, the men returned to work, and the dreary inactivity of the past few weeks gave place to all the bustle of a busy mining-camp. Also, of course, Jack's tour of inspection became infinitely easier-but! There seemed destined to be more "buts" in his career than in those of most people, although there are very few unacquainted

K

with the capacity for disagreeableness possessed by that useful word. The trouble now was with the "Great Whale" mines; for with an appetite entirely unappeased by the large amount of money and labour they had already absorbed, they were eagerly clamouring for more.

The fact was, that though an excellent group of mines in themselves, they required more development than the purchasers had expected, before beginning to pay the large dividends, which seemed as far off as ever. There was no doubt about the whole thing being a sound going concern, but it is the experience of all who have had to do with silver-mines that before getting any money out, a vast amount has to be put in. Altogether, a consultation with the other members of the little syndicate appeared to be necessary, and Jack thought it best to see them before affairs got worse. So after making arrangements for a couple of months' absence, he started for New York, en route for London. A few days after reaching the former place his business took him on to Boston. He had been there before, but never after so long an interval of "roughing it," and at first he found its luxurious clubs and its hospitable people a little alarming. For some days he lived in a chronic state of terror lest he should dip his knife into the

AMERICAN HOSPITALITY.

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salt-cellar at a dinner-party, or commit some other solecism which would shake the cultured city to its foundations. Mercifully, however, he was preserved from dragging the "Wild West" into the domesticated East, and as he already had some friends in Boston and quickly made more, he thoroughly enjoyed his taste of civilisation.

As compared with Americans, notably New Yorkers or Bostonians, hospitality in England is little understood. There, you may arrive unexpectedly in the middle of the night, and instead of remarking, as an English hostess certainly / would, that there are more convenient trains, your Americans will say, and think, how truly sweet of you to give them such a delightful surprise! Or you may write to tell your friends that you are going to pay them a visit, accompanied by your wife and mother-in-law, with their pet dog and favourite monkey, and you will be met and welcomed just as heartily as if you were an eligible bachelor fulfilling a long-promised engagement. It adds a great charm to a return. from many wanderings to know that not only will everybody be overjoyed to see you, but that they will have no hesitation in saying so.

Another thing which greatly endears Boston to the stranger within its gates is the number and