"Sartin, sartin. Oh that we had Mr. Shasta here that he might hurry to land wid the ould canoe!"
A few minutes sufficed to place the prow of the boat against the shore, and Tim O'Rooney sprung out. The miner, if such he was, stood with his hands in his pockets, looking sleepily at the stranger.
"How do yez do, William?" reaching out and shaking the hand which was rather reluctantly given him.
"Who you calling William?" demanded the miner gruffly.
"I beg yez pardon, but it was a slip of the tongue, Thomas."
"Who you calling Thomas?"
"Is your family well, my dear sir?"
"Whose family you talking about?"
"Did yez lave the wife and childer well?"
"Whose wife and childer you talking about?"