ned as he poked his captive in the back of the
neck as a hint to get along. Fortunately Mr. Connors' closing remarks
are lost to history.

Observing that Mr. Travennes headed south on the quest, Mr. Cassidy
reasoned that the missing bronchos ought to be somewhere in the north,
and he postponed the southern trip until such time when they would
have more leisure at their disposal. Mr. Travennes showed a strong
inclination to shy at this arrangement, but quieted down under
persuasion, and they started off toward where Mr. Cassidy firmly
believed the North Pole and the cayuses to be.

"Yu has got quite a metropolis here," pleasantly remarked Mr. Cassidy
as under his direction they made for a distant corral. "I can see
four different types of architecture, two of 'em on one residence," he
continued as they passed a wood and adobe hut. "No doubt the railroad
will put a branch down here some day an' then yu can hire their old cars
for yore public buildings. Then when yu gets a post-office yu will shore
make Chicago hustle some to keep her end up. Let's assay that hollow for
horse-hide; it looks promisin'."

The hollow was investigated but showed nothing other than cactus and
baked alkali. The corral came next, and there too was emptiness. For an
hour the search was unavailing, but at the end of that time Mr. Cassidy
began to notice signs of nervousness on the part of his guest, which
grew less as they proceeded. Then Mr. Cassidy retraced their steps to
the place where the nervousness first developed and tried another way
and once more returned to the starting point.

"Yu seems to hanker for this fool exercise," quoth Mr. Trayennes with
much sarcasm. "If yu reckons I'm fond of this locoed ramblin' yu shore
needs enlightenment."

"Sometimes I do get these fits," confessed Mr. Cassidy, "an' when I
do I'm dead sore on objections. Let's peek in that there hut," he
suggested.

"Huh; yore ideas of cayuses are mighty peculiar. Why don't you look for
'em up on those cactuses or behind that mesquite? I wouldn't be a heap
surprised if they was roostin' on th' roof. They are mighty knowing
animals, cayuses. I once saw one that could figger like a schoolmarm,"
remarked Mr. Travennes, beginning sarcastically and toning it down as he
proceeded, out of respect for his companion's gun.

"Well, they might be in th' shack," replied Mr. Cassidy. "Cayuses know
so much that it takes a month to unlearn them. I wouldn't like to bet
they ain'