"You see my den," he said. "I came here a year or so ago by accident, like yourselves. I found the place deserted. I liked the solitude, the scenery, whatever you like, and I stayed here. You are the only visitors I have had in a year."
"Well, Chinamen, of course. But only two of them. They take turns, at forty dollars a month, to cook my dinners. And there is a half-caste, who does not mind running down to Sacramento when I want anything. And so, you see, I make out pretty well."
He opened the window, and blew a whistle.
In two minutes a Chinaman came tumbling up the stairs. His inscrutable face expressed all the conflicting passions of humanity at once--ambition, vanity, self respect, humour, satire, avarice, resignation, patience, revenge, meekness, long-suffering, remembrance, and a thousand others. No Aryan comes within a hundred miles of it.
"Dinner as soon as you can," said his master.
"Ayah! can do," replied the Celestial. "What time you wantchee?
"Can do. My no have got cully-powder. Have makee finish. Have got?"
"How can? No, b'long his pidgin. He no helpee. B'long my pidgin makee cook chow-chow. Ayah! Achow have go makee cheat over Mexican man. Makee play cards all same euchre."
In fact, on looking out of the window, the other Celestial was clearly visible, manipulating a pack of cards and apparently inviting the Mexicans to a friendly game, in which there could be no deception.
"Beg pardon. Should have seen. Make remark about hotel. Apologise."
"He means," said the other, "that he was a terrible great fool not to see that you are a gentleman."
"Let me introduce our party," the speaker went on. "This is our esteemed friend Mr. Gilead P. Beck, whom we caught in a bear-hunt----"
"This is Captain Ladds, of the 35th Dragoons."
"Ladds," said Ladds. "Nibs, cocoa-nibs--pure aroma--best breakfast-digester--blessing to mothers--perfect fragrance."
"His name is Ladds; and he wishes to communicate to you the fact that he is the son of the man who made an immense fortune--immense, Tommy?"
"By a crafty compound known as 'Ladds' Patent Anti-Dyspeptic Cocoa.' This is Ladd's servant, John Boimer, the best servant who ever put his leg across pig-skin; and my name is Roland Dunquerque. People generally call me Jack; I don't know why, but they do."