"Now, young
fellow, go find your mammy. Go a-snuffin'!"

The yearling scrambled to his feet, bellowing. Johnny jerked him round
by the tail so that his nose pointed down the canyon; the newcomer
jumped his horse and shook a stirrup and slapped his thigh with his
hat; the yearling departed.

"Well, I'll be getting on back to camp," said the newcomer. "So long!
Much obliged to you."

"So long!" said Johnny.

He waved his hand. The other waved answer as he took the trail. He
jogged in leisurely fashion up the canyon. Dines paused to tread out
the remaining fire, took up his branding iron by the cool end, and
rode whistling down the canyon, swinging the iron to cool it before he
slipped it to its appointed place below his saddle horn.

VII

"May God be merciful to him and to us all."
--_The Advocate of Arras._

"Better come along and share my guilty splendor," urged Adam Forbes,
toe to stirrup.

Charlie See shook his head. "Not none. Here I rest. Gold is nothing to
me. I've got no time for frivolity. I want but little here below and
want that little now. Say, Adam--don't you never carry a gun?"

"Naw. I take a rifle, of course, for reindeer, snow dear, dear me and
antelope--but I haven't packed a gun for two years. No need of it
here. Well, if you won't side me, you won't. I'm sorry, but you see
how it is about me going right now," said Adam, swinging into the
saddle. "The water in that little tank of mine won't last long, and
there may not be any more rains this fall. So long! You just make
yourself at home."

"Good luck, Adam. And you might wish me the same. While you're gone, I
may want to make a little journey from bad to worse."

Adam gathered up his lead rope. "Good luck, Charlie." But a troubled
look came to his eyes as he passed through the gate; in his heart he
thought his friend rode late and vainly from Selden Hill.

The pack horse jogged alongside, his friendly head at Adam's knee. It
was earliest morning and they were still in the fresh cool shadow of
the low eastern hills. Farther north the enormous bulk of Timber
Mountain loomed monstrous in the sky, and there the shadows were deep
and dense, impenetrably black; there night lingered visible, brighter
than in all the wide arc to westward, bench-land and mighty hill were
drenched with sparkling sun.

Adam rode with a pleasant jingling of spurs. He passed through
Garfield town, or town-to-be, rem