"Yes, I know you did; but I thought when you went up there on that
mountain may be you would go to that rapid any way."
"Well," I said, "when I got to the end of the lake, and saw you
were not coming, and the thunderstorm was coming on, and the flies
were so bad, I thought I might as well be doing something nice
while the storm was wetting me, and the flies were eating me."
"Yes, that is just what we said. 'Who would ever think of your
going up there in that storm?'"
I laughed again, and George went on still trying to impress on me
the evil of my ways.
"Job, too, he was coming running, and he was sure you were lost.
When I came to meet you, and could not see you on the ridge, and
then went to the rapid and could not see you there, we began to
walk faster and faster, and then to run like crazy people. Poor
Job, he could hardly speak, and neither could I, and out of breath,
and half crying all the time. Oh, we can never trust you to go
away alone agains."
I said: "Very well, George, I'll make a bargain with you. If I can
have some one to go with me whenever I want to climb a mountain, or
do anything else that I think it is necessary to do in my work,
without any fuss about it, I promise not to go away alone again."
So the compact was made.
