resence was discovered he
came shuffling down the trail. He was a short, fat man, in faded shirt
and overalls; and on his feet he wore a pair of gunboat brogans, thickly
studded on the bottom with hob-nails. A space of six inches between the
tops of his shoes and the worn-off edge of his trousers exposed his
shrunken shanks, and he carried a stick which might serve for cane or
club as circumstances demanded. He came down briskly with his broad toes
turned out in grotesque resemblance to a duck and when Bunker Hill saw
him he snorted resentfully and rose up from his seat.

"Have you seen my burros?" demanded the old man, half defiantly, "I
can't find dose rascals nowhere. Ah, so; here's a stranger come to camp!
Good morning, I'm glad to know you."

"Good morning," returned Big Boy glancing doubtfully at Bunker Hill, "my
name is Denver Russell."

"Oh, excuse _me_!" spoke up Bunker with a sarcastic drawl, "Mr.
Russell, this is Professor Diffenderfer, the eminent buttinsky and
geologist."

"Ah--so!" beamed the Professor overlooking the fling in the excitement
of the meeting, "I take it you're a mining man? Vell, if it's golt
you're looking for I haf a claim up on dat hill dat is rich in
auriferous deposits."

"Yes," broke in Bunker giving Big Boy a sly wink, "you ought to inspect
that tunnel--it's unique in the annals of mining. You see the Professor
here is an educated man--he's learned all the big words in the
dictionary, and he's learned mining from reading Government reports.
We're quite proud of his achievements as a mining engineer, but you
ought to see that tunnel. It starts into the hill, takes a couple of
corkscrew twists and busts right out into the sunshine."

"Oh, never mind _him_!" protested the Professor as Bunker burst
into a roar, "he will haf his choke, of course. But dis claim I speak
of----"

"And that ain't all his accomplishments," broke in Bunker Hill
relentlessly, "Mr. Diffenderfer is a count--a German count--sometimes
known as Count No-Count. But as I was about to say, his greatest
accomplishments have been along tonsorial lines."

A line of pain appeared between the Professor's eyes--but he stood his
ground defiantly. "Yes," went on Bunker thrusting out his jaw in a
baleful leer at his rival, "for many years he has had the proud
distinction of being the Champion Rough-Riding Barber of Arizona."

"Vell, I've got to go," murmured the Professor hastily, "I've got to
find dem burros."

He