The boys were handling him roughly because he'd spoiled their supper rather often, when Clarence Weston stepped in.

The old man, you must understand, hadn't a shadow of a claim on him.

Now, those are not nice men to make trouble with when they have a genuine grievance, and there were three or four of them quite ready to lay hands on Weston, while there was nobody who sympathized with him.

He stood facing them, one man against an angry crowd, and held them off from the stranger who had no claim on him.

Have you heard of anything finer?
"Again, when Arabella lamed herself up on a great snow range--he'd carried our food and blankets since sunrise--he went down to bring help in the darkness, through the timber and along the edge of horrible crags.