The man took the cup, drank its contents, handed it back to the Doctor and muttered the single abbreviated word, "'Bleeged," by which the Doctor understood that he meant, "I am obliged to you."
Finally the man having disposed of his mules for the night, came to the camp fire for his supper. He received it in silence and proceeded to devour it like the hungry man that he was. Still he uttered not a word. At last Jim Chenowith tried his hand at drawing him into conversation.
"It must have been pretty tough work to get a wagon up here," he said, tentatively. The man said not a word in reply. This exasperated Jim and presently he stood up before the wagoner and angrily demanded:
"What's the matter with you? Why don't you answer a civil question?"
To this the man answered, "Hey?" at the same time putting his hand to his ear in a futile effort to understand.
"The man is almost stone deaf," said the Doctor. "That is the explanation of his silence."
Tom laughed at himself for not having made this discovery, and then crept into the bunk prepared for him in the new camp house.