and
seasoned ash for its reward, he gleefully kicked the pony in the eye
when it let go, and then rowelled a streak of perforations in its ugly
hide with his spurs as an encouragement. The ensuing bucking was joy
to his heart, and he feared that he might eventually grow to like the
animal.

When he arrived at the U Bend he put in half an hour burying the human
butts of The Orphan's joke, for the perpetrator liked to leave his
trophies where they could be seen and appreciated. Shields looked sadly
at the dead sheep, said "Hell" twice and forded the stream, picked up the
outlaw's trail on the further side and cantered along it. The trail
was very plain to him, straight as a chalk line, and it led toward
the northeast, which suited the sheriff, because there was a goodly
sized water hole twenty miles further on in that direction. Perhaps he
would find The Orphan fortified there, for it would be just like that
person to monopolize the only drinking water within twenty miles and
force his humorous adversary to either take the hole or go back to the
Limping Water for a drink. Anyway, The Orphan would get awfully soiled
wallowing about in the mud and water, and he would not hurt the water
much unless he lacked the decency to bleed on the bank. Having decided
to take the hole in preference to riding back to the creek, the sheriff
immediately dismissed that phase of the game from his mind and fell to
musing about the rumors which had persistently reiterated that the
Apaches were out.

Practical joking with The Orphan and interfering with the traveling of
Apache war parties were much the same in results, so the sheriff made
up his mind to attend to the lesser matter, if need be, after he had
quieted the man he was following. Everybody knew that Apaches were very
bad, but that The Orphan was worse; and, besides, the latter would be
laughing derisively about that matter concerning a drink. The sheriff
grinned and rode happily forward, taking pains, however, to circle
around all chaparrals and covers of every nature, for he did not know but
that his playful enemy might have tired of riding before the water
hole had been reached and decided to camp out under cover. While the
sheriff was unafraid, he had befitting respect for the quality of The
Orphan's marksmanship, which was reputed as being above reproach; and he
was not expected to determine offhand whether the outlaw was above lying
in ambush. So he used his field glass consta