At last, though, there came a loud, fierce barking, and it was quite inspiriting to hear so familiar a sound. This made Esau take a long breath as if he felt relieved, and it unlocked his tongue at once.
“Hah!” he said; “seems quite natural-like to hear a dog bark. Wonder what he is? Bet sixpence he’s a collie. Yes, hark at him. That’s a collie’s bark, I know.”
We sat listening to the barking till it ceased, and then Esau said—
“Did seem too hard, didn’t it? But somehow I couldn’t help feeling all the time that he wouldn’t serve us so bad as that. So different like to Mrs John, eh?”
“Hush! Here he comes back.” For there was a firm heavy step that was like a march, and the door was thrown open.
“Ah, my lads, all in the dark? I had forgotten the light.”
He struck a match, and lit a large oil-lamp, and sent a bright pleasant glow through the place, which, from looking weird and strange, now had a warm and home-like aspect.
“You’ll like to get to bed soon. Pretty tired, I expect. I am too. We are early people here. Early to bed and early to rise; you know the rest of the proverb. You’ll sleep in the strangers’ place tonight; to-morrow we’ll see what we can do. Mine is a bachelor home, but we have women here. Some of my men have wives, but they are Indian. Rather a wild place to bring my sister to—eh, Mayne?”
Then without giving me time to speak—
“Come along,” he said. “I told Mr Gunson that I would fetch you.”