is belt and it lay on the ground with his six-shooters back at the
cabin. He pointed at mine and said, 'Give me that gun.' Throwing himself
into the saddle, he was off like a streak of lightning. The mare's
hoofprints were plainly visible in the trail leading toward the Grand
River. About 9:30 o'clock we heard a yell and went up to the corral.
Jack had the mare. Not a word was uttered, except 'She was in the middle
of the ford just above where the Forks go into the Grand.' Both horses
were covered with ridges of dry sweat and looked jaded, as though every
inch of ten miles had been run in a death-race struggle. On the off side
of 'Martha' a dirty red streak mingled with the sweat. As we went slowly
back to the cabin, after picketing both horses, Jack handed me my belt
and gun--a Colt's .41 double action. Two empty cartridge shells told the
story of a tragedy. A week later one of our party found the body of a
man on the bank of the Grand five miles below the Forks with two bullet
holes in his back.

"Jack had one habit that city boys think belong to themselves"--

"Midnight lunches?" asked Cal.

"Yes; but Jack generally had his hungry spell about 2 a. m. Every night
that our party was at the Bar E ranch Jack would wake us up and every
one had to 'break bread' with him--only it was flapjacks instead of
bread. Jack would do all the work, and he was an artist with the frying
pan. He would turn those big cakes by tossing them out of the pan in the
air, you know, and catch them after the flop. After our lunch a smoke,
and while we smoked a few deals of Spanish monte and a story or two,
then back to bunks. Yes, 'Happy Jack' is a character."

As Jack finished his story of "Happy Jack" a shout announced the
beginning of the trials of strength, endurance and courage, which would
probably proclaim the victor for the hand of Susan. Standing erect with
arms folded over his breast, Red Plume watched with seeming indifference
the trials. Susan, seated upon her blanket, appeared even more so; in
fact when it became apparent that Antelope was not to be one of the
contestants she shook her head and disconsolately continued her
beadwork.

The braves vied with each other in feats of running, wrestling, jumping,
swinging from one tree to another, riding in all manner of positions on
bareback, bridleless ponies; throwing knives at each other's heads, arms
and necks in endeavors to pinion the victim to a tree without doing him
any bodily