broke into a long guffaw that echoed back
from the woods, and circled his long whip about his head, allowing the
big broad cracker to settle lightly the length of the lash from him as
daintily as an expert caster lets his flies settle into a riffle where
the big trout hide, then with a fierce backward motion and overhand
shoot to the front the long sinuous black snake straightened out with a
vicious snap that made Jack wince, for it told the rest of the tale of
what happened to the blanket thief before "court" adjourned. Then the
freighter finished his remark.

"Well, that onery cuss that stole my blanket has got my mark on his
hide, made like that."

"Yes, I think he must have about fifteen of them the way the whips
cracked as he ran the gauntlet between about thirty of you. Did he
live?"

"Oh, yes. That is he was alive when we left him on the prairie, headed
for the Missouri River."

"I was on my way to Leadville. Buena Vista was the end of the railroad
and in looking after some freight at the depot I saw the preliminaries
of opening 'court' and execution of 'judgment' against the prisoner,"
explained Jack. To which the grizzled teamster replied:

"It looks cruel to one not familiar with frontier life. It seems a
crime, the justice which overtakes horse thieves and camp prowlers,
while those who commit greater crimes go free. But there are no two
things so essential to life on the border as blankets and horses. We
have to sleep and travel. Hotels don't pop up for the asking, with warm
beds on a winter's night, nor do horses grow out of a pine bough when a
man is miles away from any habitation. If men be too onery and sassy and
get to be too handy in their gun play with each other we make no fuss if
both 'go over the range with their boots on'--a-killing of them fellers
does not necessitate an honest man's freezing to death. We never hang a
man, nor shoot him, if he steals our grub or watch, or even gets our
gun, but blankets and horses are sacred property. But what be you doin'
in here?"

"Came over to see the Ute races and study Indians," replied Jack.

"So did I, but to make it more binding I brought in a train of
government plunder for the Agency, some plows and mowin' machines and
school house desks. Say, but I'd like to see some of these redskins
trying to cut a furrer down that sage brush flat or sittin' at one of
them desks doin' sums in 'rithmetic. More'n likely they'll be makin'
pictures of Parson M