At last he saw a faint gleam, apparently that of a candle, at some little distance on his left. Whether it was far away or near at hand Myles could not tell. It at least betokened the presence of human beings, and he determined to try and reach it. He did not find any road or path leading to it, but worked his way slowly, with many a stumble amid rocks, trees, stumps, and bushes, toward the light. He often lost sight of it, but always found it again, until, all of a sudden, he was close upon it.
It came from a cabin, apparently that of a charcoal-burner, only somewhat larger than most of those he had seen. In order to announce his presence he gave a shout, which was answered by the savage barking of a dog that came bounding toward him. As Myles felt for a stick or a rock with which to defend himself, the door of the cabin was opened and a harsh voice shouted:
“Tige! you Tige! Be quiet, sir. Who’s there?”
“A stranger in search of something to eat and a place to sleep in.”
“Step up here and let’s take a look at you. Tige, be quiet!”
The dog obeyed his master so far as keeping quiet was concerned, but he followed the new-comer and sniffed at his heels in a manner both suggestive and extremely unpleasant.
The figure that confronted Myles in the door-way was that of a tall, broad-shouldered, rough-looking man, clad in a flannel shirt and a pair of coarse trousers tucked into cowhide boots.
“Well, you be a stranger, sure enough,” said he, holding a candle so that its light shone in the other’s face; “leastways I never see you in these parts before. An’ you’ve struck a mighty poor place. This ain’t no hotel, and I reckon you’d better travel a bit further on.”
“To the Junction, I expect. There ain’t no place short of that, as I know of, where you could be took in.”
“But that is a long way off,” objected Myles, “and I don’t believe I could cross the bridges in the dark.”
“No more do I believe you could,” replied the man.
“Besides, I am willing to pay, and pay well, for whatever food and shelter you will give me,” added Myles.
“Let’s see your money, stranger, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Now Myles had no money with him except the change from the fifty dollars that he had tucked into the envelope in which the bill had come to him that morning. So he was obliged to produce this in order to get out the required dollar.