rries.

"Listen to her now, will you?" he asked. And then indignantly, "How
many cackle-berries does you want? You haf had so many as I haf cooked
for you." "Why, Herman, I haven't had a single berry," I said. Then
such a roar of laughter. Herman gazed at me in astonishment, and Mr.
Watson gently explained to me that eggs and cackle-berries were one
and the same.

N'Yawk was not yet up, so Herman walked over to his bed, kicked him a
few times, and told him he would scald him if he didn't turn out. It
was quite light by then. N'Yawk joined us in a few minutes. "What the
deuce was you fellers kicking up such a rumpus fer last night?" he
asked. "You blamed blockhead, don't you know?" the boss answered. "Why,
the sheriff searched this camp last night. They had a battle down at
the bridge afterwards and either they are all killed or else no one is
hurt. They would have been here otherwise. Ward took a shot at them
once yesterday, but I guess he didn't hit; the men got away, anyway.
And durn your sleepy head! you just lay there and snored. Well, I'll be
danged!" Words failed him, his wonder and disgust were so great.

N'Yawk turned to get his breakfast. His light shirt was blood-stained
in the back,--seemed to be soaked. "What's the matter with your shirt,
it's soaked with blood?" some one asked. "Then that durned Daisy Belle
has been crawling in with me, that's all," he said. "Blame his bleeding
snoot. I'll punch it and give it something to bleed for."

Then Mr. Watson said, "Daisy ain't been in all night. He took Jesse's
place when he went to town after supper." That started an inquiry and
search which speedily showed that some one with a bleeding wound had
gotten in with N'Yawk. It also developed that Mr. Watson's splendid
horse and saddle were gone, the rope that the horse had been picketed
with lying just as it had been cut from his neck.

Now all was bustle and excitement. It was plainly evident that one of
the outlaws had lain hidden on N'Yawk's bed while the sheriff was
there, and that afterwards he had saddled the horse and made his
escape. His own horse was found in the willows, the saddle cut loose
and the bridle off, but the poor, jaded thing had never moved. By sunup
the search-party returned, all too worn-out with twenty-four hours in
the saddle to continue the hunt. They were even too worn-out to eat,
but flung themselves down for a few hours' rest. The chase was hopeless
anyway, for the search-party had g