"Yes, a brick-a real good fellow, and no mistake! Give us your hand! You're a gentleman!"
Ki Sing readily yielded his hand to the grasp of the miner. He saw that Bradley meant to be friendly, though he did not altogether understand him.
"Had you ever met Ki Sing, Dick?" asked Bradley.
"Yes; on one occasion I had a chance to be of service to him, and he had not forgotten it. He has taken the best care of me, and supplied me with food, which I was unable to procure for myself. I think I should have starved but for him."
"Ki Sing, I want to shake hands with you again," said Bradley, who seemed a good deal impressed by conduct which his prejudices would not have allowed him to expect from a heathen.
Ki Sing winced beneath the strong pressure of the miner's grasp, and examined his long, slender fingers with some anxiety when he rescued them from the cordial, but rather uncomfortable pressure.
"Melican man shakee too much!" he protested.
Bradley did not hear him, for he had again resumed conversation with Dewey.
"Is that your boy, Bradley?" asked the invalid, glaring at Ben, who modestly kept in the background.
"No, it's a young friend of mine that I came across in 'Frisco. His name is Ben Stanton. I don't believe you can guess what brought us up here among the mountains."