thought, he leaned forward, unfastened his catenas,
and drew forth a long-necked bottle. He drew the
cork with his teeth, then held the bottle up to the
sun, shut one eye, looked at the contents as if to see
that they had the desired bead, handed it to the man
he had called Prince Hal, said " Boston s best,"
and bowed down his head.
The Prince took the bottle solemnly, held it up to the light, placed three fingers on a level with the top of the contents, and then slowly raised the bottom towards the sun.
A gurgling sound, then the telescope descended, and the Prince took a long breath as he handed the bottle on to me.
I had not yet learned the etiquette of the moun tain traveller, and shook my head.
A hand reached out from under the broad hat, as the Prince returned the bottle in that direction, took it by the neck, shook it gently, tilted it over as the broad hat fell back, and consulted the oracle ; then stuck it back in the catenas.
When he had replaced the bottle, he stood in his great wooden stirrups, rattled the bells of steel on his great Spanish spurs, and again eyed my com panion.
"Well damn old roper!" he again broke forth, "money, mule, and watch all gone, and you afoot and alone ! Well, how on earth did it happen ? And is it really so? Just to think that Prince Hal, the man of all others who always made it partic
