handle of a knocker, it would fall
back to place with quite a thump. He did this twice as he stared at
Beth, and then he remarked:

"Quite a hike yit, down to Goldite."

"I suppose it is," said Beth in her interesting way. "How far is it,
really, from here?"

"'Bout twenty miles of straight ahead, and two miles of straight up,
and three of straight down--if a feller could go straight," said
Gettysburg gravely, "but he can't."

Beth looked very much concerned. She had hoped they were almost there,
and no more hills to climb or descend. She felt convinced they had
ridden over twenty miles already, and the horseman had assured her it
was thirty at the most, from the station so far behind the mountains.

"But--Mr. Van can't walk so far as that," she said. "I'm sure I don't
see what----"

She was interrupted by the reappearance of Van himself.

"Isn't there a horse on the place?" he asked his partners collectively.
"What have you done with the sorrel?"

Gettysburg arose. "Loaned him to A. C., yistiddy," said he. "But the
outlaw's on the job."

"Not Vesuvius?" Van replied incredulously. "You don't mean to say he's
turned up again unslaughtered?"

"Cayuse here roped him, up to Cedar flat," imparted Gettysburg.
"Cornered him there in natural corral and fetched him home fer fun."

Napoleon added: "But Cayuse ain't been on board, you bet. He likes
something more old-fashioned than Suvy. Split my bowsprit, I wouldn't
tow no horse into port which I was afraid to board. When I was bustin'
bronchos I liked 'em to be bad."

"Yes," agreed Gettysburg, "so bad they couldn't stand up."

A bright glitter came for a moment in Van's blue eyes.

"If Suvy's the only equine paradox on the place, he and I have got to
argue things out this afternoon," he said, "but I'll have my dinner
first."

Beth was listening intently, puzzled to know precisely what the talk
implied. She was vaguely suspicious that Van, for the purpose of
escorting her on, would find himself obliged to wage some manner of war
with a horse of which the Indian was afraid.

Further discussion of the topic was interrupted now by the cook, who
appeared to announce his dinner served. Beth and her maid were,
therefore, directed by Van to a table set for two, while he, with
Napoleon and Gettysburg for company, repaired to a place in the kitchen.

Beth was hungry. She ate with all the relish of a mountaineer. Algy,
moreover, was a kitchen magician