"How are you?" The giant's heavy eyes lifted quickly, but he spoke
to the girl.

"You go on home--what you doin' hyeh gassin' with furriners!"

The girl shrank to the bushes, but she cried sharply back:

"Don't you hurt him now, Dad. He ain't even got a pistol. He ain't
no--"

"Shet up!" The little creature vanished and the mountaineer turned
to the fisherman, who had just put on a fresh minnow and tossed it
into the river.

"Purty well, thank you," he said shortly. "How are you?"

"Fine!" was the nonchalant answer. For a moment there was silence
and a puzzled frown gathered on the mountaineer's face.

"That's a bright little girl of yours--What did she mean by
telling you not to hurt me?"

"You haven't been long in these mountains, have ye?"

"No--not in THESE mountains--why?" The fisherman looked around and
was almost startled by the fierce gaze of his questioner.

"Stop that, please," he said, with a humourous smile. "You make me
nervous."