hat
you proceeded to make yourselves a general nuisance. If I committed you
for vagrancy or assault, it would delay you in a business which you must
have deeply at heart. I know that if I were charged with a tenth part of
these crimes I'd never sleep until I proved my innocence. Do you or do
you not wish to prove your innocence?"

The prisoners scratched their heads.

"Marshal," said the magistrate. "I don't know what my powers are in this
matter, but it's evident that the less red tape there is the sooner
these men will get the justice they rightly demand. I don't want them.
Give me a receipt and engage what men you need for escort duty. You, Mr.
Representative, give me your receipt for the cattle. Now clear out, and
get to the States before you're interfered with by any lop-eared
officials. Constable, hand over your prisoners.

"Mr. Dale and Mr. Smith, will you trust me as magistrate to make a fair
division of this reward? All right. One-quarter goes to Dale,
one-quarter to Smith, and the other half to be equally divided among
you. Is that fair? All right, here's the plunder. Let's get the table in
and dinner served. I'm famished."

So the court rose, and the dear old captain, having, I believe, broken
every statute in British Columbia jurisprudence, asked all hands and the
prisoners to dinner. "Of course," he said afterward to Jesse, "I ought
to have committed you and Dale to trial for homicide, fined you all
round for using guns without a license, turned the lawyers loose on a
fat extradition case, and impounded the cattle to eat my grass at
government expense. As it is, I'll be hanged, drawn, and quartered by
the politicians, damned by the press, and jailed for thrashing editors.
And I missed all the fun."

After dinner the crowd broke up into little groups. In one corner the
American officials were bargaining with Mr. Dale for his Sky-line men to
ride with the prisoners and the cattle. By the door stood Mr. Brooke,
explaining something at great length to our bored constable. At the head
of the long table Captain Taylor was telling me how difficult it was to
find a suitable nursery governess for Wee James. At the foot of the
table I saw the Mexican whispering to his unfortunate chief--plans for
escape, no doubt. Then Jesse joined them, with a present of pipes,
matches, and tobacco to ease their journey.

"Mr. Smith," said poor old O'Flynn, "this yere Sebastian Diaz has been
with me these twelve year. He's on