y a young antelope. A volley of German abuse was hurled at
poor Herman, wound up in as plain American as Mrs. Louderer could
speak: "And who iss going to pay de game warden de fine of dot antelope
what you haf shot? And how iss it that we haf come de camp by und so
starved as we iss hungry, and no cook und no food? Iss dat for why you
iss paid?"

Herman was some Dutch himself, however. "How iss it," he demanded, "dat
you haf not so much sense as you haf tongue? How haf you lived so long
as always in de West und don't know enough to hunt a bean-hole when you
reach your own camp. Hey?"

Mrs. Louderer was very properly subdued and I delighted when he removed
the stones from where the fire had been, exposing a pit from which,
with a pair of pot-hooks, he lifted pots and ovens of the most
delicious meat, beans, and potatoes. From the mess-box he brought bread
and apricot pie. From a near-by spring he brought us a bright, new pail
full of clear, sparkling water, but Mrs. Louderer insisted upon tea and
in a short time he had it ready for us. The tarpaulin was spread on the
ground for us to eat from, and soon we were showing an astonished cook
just how much food two women and a child could get away with. I ate a
good deal of ashes with my roast beef and we all ate more or less sand,
but fastidiousness about food is a good thing to get rid of when you
come West to camp.

When the regular supper-time arrived the punchers began to gather in,
and the "boss," who had been to town about some business, came in and
brought back the news of the man-hunt. The punchers sat about the
fire, eating hungrily from their tin plates and eagerly listening to
the recital. Two of the boys were tenderfeet: one from Tennessee called
"Daisy Belle," because he whistled that tune so much and because he had
nose-bleed so much,--couldn't even ride a broncho but his nose would
bleed for hours afterwards; and the other, "N'Yawk," so called from his
native State. N'Yawk was a great boaster; said he wasn't afraid of no
durned outlaw,--said his father had waded in bloody gore up to his neck
and that he was a chip off the old block,--rather hoped the chase would
come our way so he could try his marksmanship.

The air began to grow chill and the sky was becoming overcast.
Preparations for the night busied everybody. Fresh ponies were being
saddled for the night relief, the hard-ridden, tired ones that had been
used that day being turned loose to graze. Some