did it?'

"'He was--the vigilantes did it. The reason they suspected him was
that they found a receipted bill for fifty feet of garden hose in
Ike's, the murdered man's, pocket. Knowing perfectly well that Ike
never paid a bill in his life, that looked suspicious, but when
they come to look at it closer they see the bill was made out to
another man, and they hustled back. The pedler was game, though
weary. They raised an ax to free him, but he hollers--one word to
the jump--"Don't--waste--too--much--hose!"'

"Percival put his hand on my shoulder. I thought my little effort
would receive at least a smile, and was preparin' to join in, when
he says:

"'Think of the state of that innocent man's mind for those three
days!'

"Well, I tried to, to oblige Percival, but I just naturally
couldn't; if it hadn't been a nut come loose under the wagon
there'd been nothing left for me but to die right there.

"Only one thing marred the trip. We run across a man who asked
where we was going.

"'Oh, out a little way!' says I.

"He looked at Percival. 'Here a minute!' says he. I went over to
him. 'Look out for your eye!' he whispered. 'The 'Paches are up.'

"Well, I never paid any more attention to a man predictin' Injun
troubles than I do to a farmer's kickin' about the weather, so I
thanked him and we strolled on. I explained to Percival that the
man was the well-known desperado, James Despard, of the Bloody
Hand, and he was askin' me if I'd met any of his enemies.

"'He didn't look fierce,' says Percival.

"'That's his lay,' says I; 'he goes up to a man and don't look
fierce, and the first thing you know there's a funeral.'

"About sunset we hit the place we aimed for: a nice, high spot with
a pool of water, overlooking the valley for miles. It was straight
on three sides, and a hard pull for the mules on the other; but a
patch of grass to the back, timber handy, and the lookout it gave
you, together with the water, made it worth the climb. Besides, it
was the very spot where the Roosian Prince Porkandbeansky camped,
time I guided him ten years before. I told Percival all about the
Prince whilest I was cooking supper, thus giving him a line on the
proper way to behave. It was enough to say the Prince done
so-and-so--or didn't--to bring Percival into line easy for the rest
of the trip.

"Well, we couldn't get under that blue coverlid of Percival's any
too quick that night. I didn't mind a blanket throw