the afternoon of the eleventh
Hopalong's miner friend paid him a visit.

"Jake recommends yore peaches," he laughed as he shook Hopalong's hand.
"He says yu boosted another of that crowd. That bein' so I thought I
would drop in an' say that they're comin' after yu to-night, shore. Just
heard of it from yore friend Jimmy. Yu can count on us when th' rush
comes. But why didn't yu say yu was a pard of Buck Peters'? Me an' him
used to shoot up Laramie together. From what yore friend James says, yu
can handle this gang by yore lonesome, but if yu needs any encouragement
yu make some sign an' we'll help th' event along some. They's eight of
us that'll be waitin' up to get th' returns an' we're shore goin' to be
in range."

"Gee, it's nice to run across a friend of Buck's! Ain't he a
son-of-a-gun?" Asked Hopalong, delighted at the news. Then, without
waiting for a reply, he went on: "Yore shore square, all right, an' I
hates to refuse yore offer, but I got eighteen friends comin' up an'
they ought to get here by tomorrow. Yu tell Jimmy to head them this way
when they shows up an' I'll have th' claim for them. There ain't no
use of yu fellers gettin' mixed up in this. Th' bunch that's comin' can
clean out any gang this side of sunup, an' I expects they'll shore be
anxious to begin when they finds me eatin' peaches an' wastin' my time
shootin' bums. Yu pass th' word along to yore friends, an' tell them to
lay low an' see th' Arory Boerallis hit this town with its tail up. Tell
Jimmy to do it up good when he speaks about me holdin' th' claim--I likes
to see Buck an' Red fight when they're good an' mad."

The miner laughed and slapped Hopalong on the shoulder. "Yore all right,
youngster! Yore just like Buck was at yore age. Say now, I reckons he
wasn't a reg'lar terror on wheels! Why, I've seen him do more foolish
things than any man I knows of, an' I calculate that if Buck pals
with yu there ain't no water in yore sand. My name's Tom Halloway," he
suggested.

"An' mine's Hopalong Cassidy," was the reply. "I've heard Buck speak of
yu."

"Has yu? Well, don't it beat all how little this world is? Somebody
allus turnin' up that knows somebody yu knows. I'll just amble along,
Mr. Cassidy, an' don't yu be none bashful about callin' if yu needs me.
Any pal of Buck's is my friend. Well, so long," said the visitor as he
strode off. Then he stopped and turned around. "Hey, mister!" he
called. "They are goin' to roll a fire barrel do