rlorn frontier post of Fort Wingate, where they were to obtain
their final supplies for the winter.

Chapter XXXIV.

BAITING A WOLF-TRAP.

At Fort Wingate the real hardships of the trip began in an unexpected
manner. Instead of being plentifully supplied with provisions, as had
been reported, the post was found to be very poorly provided, and all
that could be spared to the engineers were condemned quartermaster's
stores. The party must take these or nothing; and when Mr. Hobart left
it to his men whether they should accept the damaged stores and push on,
or go back to the Rio Grande, they unanimously said, "Go on!" So, for
the next two months, they made the best of half-spoiled hams and bacon,
hard-tack filled with white worms, and sugar abounding in little black
bugs, that fortunately floated on top of the coffee and could be skimmed
off.

The men provided themselves with a number of little luxuries at the
sutler's--the last store they would see for months--and "Billy" Brackett
bought a cheese. This was considered a very queer purchase; but Glen's
was queerer still, for it was a small quantity of strychnine. He only
procured this after giving assurances that he did not propose to commit
suicide and making many promises to be very careful in its use. What he
proposed to do with the poison he did not confide to anybody except his
friend "Billy" Brackett, who agreed with him that it was a capital plan.

A run of twelve miles from Fort Wingate brought the party to a camp, in
a forest of the most stately yellow-pines they had ever seen, beside a
great spring of ice-cold water--known as the Agua Fria (cold water).
Here, as soon as supper was over, Glen proceeded to put his great plan
into execution. The nights were now very cold, and the boy generally
woke before morning to find himself shivering beneath his insufficient
covering of blankets. Every night, too, since entering the mountains the
party had been annoyed by the sneaking visits and unearthly howlings of
wolves that hung on the outskirts of the camp from dark to daylight,
every now and then making a quick dash through it, if the guard was not
watching sharply, and snatching at bits of food or at anything made of
leather that lay in their path. So Glen thought he would teach the
wolves a lesson, which should at the same time add some of their skins
to his bed-clothing; and it was for this purpose he had procured the
strychnine.

Now, with "Billy" Brac