in the matter. They
galloped up beside him and called out a friendly hail. It was Jim, the
_vaquero_ from Mead's ranch, but he and Haney looked at each other as
if they had never met before. He assured Wellesly that they were
certainly on the road which led to Las Plumas by the way of Muletown,
that he knew it perfectly well, having traveled it many times, and
that he himself was going past Muletown to the Hermosa mountains.

"You see," he explained, "Muletown ain't on the straight line between
here and Las Plumas. It's away off to one side and you have to go
quite a ways around to get there. That's what has mixed you up so,
stranger. The road has to go past Muletown, because it's the only
place on the plain where there's water."

"Well," said Wellesly, "since you both say so, it must be all right.
The joke is on me, gentlemen." He took a flask from his breast pocket.
"There isn't much left in this bottle, but as far as it will go, I
acknowledge the corn."

The men each took a drink, Wellesly finished the liquor and threw the
empty flask on a sandheap beside the road. Light clouds had risen, so
that the sun and all the western sky were obscured and there were no
shadows to suggest to him that they were going east instead of west.
They were nearing a depression in the Fernandez mountains. Haney
pointed to it, saying:

"When we get there we can show you just the lay of the land."

They passed through the break and a barren plain lay spread out before
them bounded by precipitous mountains which swerved on either hand
toward the range in which they were riding.

"That," said Haney, "is the Fernandez plain. You remember crossing
that, surely?" Wellesly nodded. "And the mountains over there," Haney
went on, "are the 'Ermosas."

"The range just this side of Las Plumas," said Wellesly. "Yes, I am
getting my bearings now."

"I'm going prospecting in them mountains," said Jim. "I'm satisfied
there's heaps of gold there. I'm going up into that canyon you see at
the foot of that big peak. I was in there two weeks ago and I found
quartz that was just lousy with gold. You fellows better break away
and come along with me. I'll bet you can't make more money anywhere
else."

"I don't care to go prospecting," said Wellesly, "but if you make a
good strike, and develop it enough to show what it is, I'll engage to
sell it for you."

"Good enough! It's a bargain!" Jim cried. "Just give me your address,
stranger, so I'll know w