yonder, by happy and unlooked for chance, were witnesses
indeed; he must have their names to his location notices, and then he
would get the copies to Hillsboro for recording at the earliest; he
would mail them in Garfield post office that very afternoon.

He reversed his pencil and erased the names of his fictitious
witnesses; he saddled his horse and rode to intercept the three
horsemen, half a mile away now, trailing slowly across the park toward
MacCleod's Tanks. He waved them to stop. As he drew near he knew two
of the men--Jody Weir, of Hillsboro, and Big Ed Caney, a deputy
sheriff from Dona Ana County; two men he trusted not at all. Time was
he would have deemed this conjunction sinister; to-day, madness was
upon him. The third was a stranger. Each man had a blanket and a
bulging slicker tied behind his saddle. Evidently they carried rations
for several days' camping.

"Hello, Adam!"

"You're another--three of 'em. Got any water in those canteens? If I
was to do a piece of wishin', right now, I'd mention water first off.
This is sure one old scorcher of a day! She's a weather breeder. Rain
before morning, sure as snakes. I see thunder-heads peeping up over
the Black Range, right now."

Caney handed over a canteen. "Drink hearty! You shore look like you'd
been working, Adam."

Adam drank deep before replying.

"Working is right. Prospecting. Tired of farming--need a change. Say,
I want you fellows to witness some location notices for me. Ride over
on the next ridge and I can point out where the claims lay so you can
swear to 'em--or ride over with me if you got time. I was just doing a
little forgery when I saw your dust, for I wasn't expectin' to see a
man up this way--not ever. I do reckon this is the lonesomest place in
the world."

"Adam, meet my friend," said Jody. "Mr. Forbes, Mr. Hales. Now, Adam,
no need for us to go over to your layout, is there? We can see your
silly monuments. That's enough. No particular odds anyway, is it? I
reckon half the notices on record have ghost signatures to 'em. Just
as good as any. Nobody'll ever know the difference."

"Sure, that's all right--but seein' you happened along so slick, I
thought I'd get your John Hancocks. Sign on the dotted line,
please--where I rubbed out my forgeries."

"Any good, your mines?" asked Jody as they signed.

"Might be--will be, likely enough. Just struck pay dirt to-day. Lots
of room if you want to try a whirl--all round my claims,