rtain contingencies. Many gentlemen came uncommunicative to the
horse camp and departed unquestioned. In such case the tradition of
hospitality required the host to ride afield against the parting time;
so being enabled to say truly that he knew not the direction of his
guest's departure. Word was passed on; the Panhandle became well and
widely known; we all know what the lame dog did to the doctor.

But Johnny rubbed his nose. This thing had been done with needless
ostentation; and Johnny did not like Mr. Hales' face. It was a furtive
face; the angles of the eyes did not quite match, so that the eyes
seemed to keep watch of each other; moreover, they were squinched
little eyes, and set too close to the nose; the nose was too thin and
was pinched to a covert sneer, aided therein by a sullen mouth under
heavy mustaches. Altogether Mr. Hales did not look like a man
overgiven to trustfulness. Johnny did not see any reason why Mr.
Hales' friend should not have ridden in later and with more reticence;
so he set himself to watch for such reason.

"My friend, Mr. Smith," announced Hales, as Mr. Smith joined them. Mr.
Smith, like the others, wore belt and six-shooter; also, a rifle was
strapped under his knee. He was a short and heavy-set man, singularly
carefree of appearance, and he now inquired with great earnestness:
"Anybody mention grub?"

"Sure," said Bobby. "Let's drift! Only a mile or so."

_We all went to the ranch next day;
Brown augured me most all the way;
He said cowpunching was only play,
There was no work at all.
"All you have to do is ride,
It's just like drifting with the tide----"
Lord have mercy, how he lied!
He had a most horrible gall!_

The walling hills were higher now. The canyon fell away swiftly to
downward plunge, gravel between cut banks. Just above the horse camp
it made a sharp double-S curve. Riding across a short cut of shoulder,
Bob, in the lead, held up a hand to check the others. He rode up on a
little platform to the right, from which, as pedestal, rose a great
hill of red sandstone, square-topped and incredibly steep. Bobby waved
his hat; a man on foot appeared on the crest of the red hill and
zigzagged down the steeps. He wore a steeple-crowned hat and he
carried a long rifle in the crook of his arm.

Johnny's eyes widened. He exchanged a glance with Hales; and he
observed that Smith and Hales did not look at each other. Yet they
had--s