Too considerate, said Berrie, shortly; he makes other men seem like bears or pigs.
Mrs. McFarlane said no more, but she knew that Cliff was, for the time, among the bears.
V THE GOLDEN PATHWAY
He bought a horse of his own although Berrie insisted upon his retaining Pete and sent for a saddle of the army type, and from sheer desire to keep entirely clear of the cowboy equipment procured puttees like those worn by cavalry officers, and when he presented himself completely uniformed, he looked not unlike a slender, young lieutenant of the cavalry on field duty, and in Berries eyes was wondrous alluring.
He took quarters at the hotel, but spent a larger part of each day in Berries company a fact which was duly reported to Clifford Belden. Hardly a day passed without his taking at least one meal at the Supervisors home.
As he met the rangers one by one, he perceived by their outfits, as well as by their speech, that they were sharply divided upon old lines and new. The experts, the men of college training, were quite ready to be known as Uncle Sams men. They held a pride in their duties, a respect for their superiors, and an understanding of the governmental policy which gave them dignity and a quiet authority. They were less policemen than trusted agents of a federal department. Nevertheless, there was much
to admire in the older men, who possessed a self-reliance, a knowledge of nature, and a certain rough grace which made them interesting companions, and rendered them effective teachers of camping and trailing, and while they were secretly a little contemptuous of the schoolboys; they were all quite ready to ask for expert aid when knotty problems arose. It was no longer a question of grazing, it was a question of lumbering and reforestration.
Nash, who took an almost brotherly interest in his apprentice, warningly said: You want to go well clothed and well shod. Youll have to meet all kinds of weather. Every man in the service, I dont care what his technical job is, should be schooled in taking care of himself in the forest and on the trail. I often meet surveyors and civil engineers experts who are helpless as children in camp, and when I want them to go into the hills and do field work, they are almost useless. The old-style ranger has his virtues. Settle is just the kind of instructor you young fellows need.
Berrie also had keen eyes for his outfit and his training, and under her direction he learned to pack a horse, set a tent, build a fire in the rain, and other duties.
You want to remember that you carry your bed and board with you, she said, and you must be prepared to camp anywhere and at any time.
The girls skill in these particulars was marvelous to him, and added to the admiration he already felt for her. Her hand was as deft, as sure, as the best of them, and her knowledge of cayuse psychology more profound than any of the men excepting her father.
One day, toward the end of his second week in the village, the Supervisor said: Well, now, if youre ready to experiment Ill send you over to Settle, the ranger, on the Horseshoe. Hes a little lame on his pen-hand side, and you may be able to help him out. Maybe Ill ride over there with you. I want to line out some timber sales on the west side of Ptarmigan.
This commission delighted Norcross greatly. Im ready, sir, this moment, he answered, saluting soldier-wise.
That night, as he sat in the saddle-littered, boot-haunted front room of Nashs little shack, his host said, quaintly: Dont think you are inheriting a soft snap, son. The rangers job was a mans job in the old days when it was a mere matter of patrolling; but its worse and more of it to-day. A ranger must be ready and willing to build bridges, fight fire, scale logs, chop a hole through a windfall, use a pick in a ditch, build his own house, cook, launder, and do any other old trick that comes along. But youll know more about all this at the end of ten days than I can tell you in a year.
Im eager for duty, replied Wayland.
The next morning, as he rode down to the office to meet the Supervisor, he was surprised and delighted to find Berea there. Im riding, too, she announced, delightedly. Ive never been over that new trail, and father has agreed to let me go along. Then she added, earnestly: I think its fine youre going in for the Service; but its hard work, and you must be careful till youre hardened to it. Its a long way to a doctor from Settles station.
He was annoyed as well as touched by her warning, for it proclaimed that he was still far from looking the brave forester he felt himself to be. He replied: Im not going to try anything wild, but I do intend to master the trailers craft.
Ill teach you how to camp, if youll let me, she continued. Ive been on lots of surveys with father, and I always take my share of the work. I threw that hitch alone. She nodded toward the pack-horse, whose neat load gave evidence of her skill. I told father this was to be a real camping expedition, and as the grouse season is on well live on the country. Can you fish?