n' on my way to White Slides to work for
Belllounds."

"Glad to meet you. I'm new hereabouts, myself, but I know Belllounds. My
name's Lewis. I was jest cookin' grub. An' it'll burn, too, if I don't
rustle. Turn your hosses loose an' come in."

Wade presented himself with something more than his usual methodical
action. He smelled buffalo steak, and he was hungry. The cabin had been
built years ago, and was a ramshackle shelter at best. The stone
fireplace, however, appeared well preserved. A bed of red coals glowed
and cracked upon the hearth.

"Reckon I sure smelled buffalo meat," observed Wade, with much
satisfaction. "It's long since I chewed a hunk of that."

"All ready. Now pitch in.... Yes, thar's some buffalo left in here. Not
hunted much. Thar's lots of elk an' herds of deer. After a little snow
you'd think a drove of sheep had been trackin' around. An' some bear."

Wade did not waste many words until he had enjoyed that meal. Later,
while he helped his host, he recurred to the subject of game.

"If there's so many deer then there's lions an' wolves."

"You bet. I see tracks every day. Had a shot at a lofer not long ago.
Missed him. But I reckon thar's more varmints over in the Troublesome
country back of White Slides."

"Troublesome! Do they call it that?" asked Wade, with a queer smile.

"Sure. An' it is troublesome. Belllounds has been tryin' to hire a
hunter. Offered me big wages to kill off the wolves an' lions."

"That's the job I'm goin' to take."

"Good!" exclaimed Lewis. "I'm sure glad. Belllounds is a nice fellar. I
felt sort of cheap till I told him I wasn't really a hunter. You see,
I'm prospectin' up here, an' pretendin' to be a hunter."

"What do you make that bluff for?" queried Wade.

"You couldn't fool any one who'd ever prospected for gold. I saw your
signs out here."

"Wal, you've sharp eyes, thet's all. Wade, I've some ondesirable
neighbors over here. I'd just as lief they didn't see me diggin' gold.
Lately I've had a hunch they're rustlin' cattle. Anyways, they've sold
cattle in Kremmlin' thet came from over around Elgeria."

"Wherever there's cattle there's sure to be some stealin'," observed
Wade.

"Wal, you needn't say anythin' to Belllounds, because mebbe I'm wrong.
An' if I found out I was right I'd go down to White Slides an' tell it
myself. Belllounds done some favors."

"How far to White Slides?" asked Wade, with a puff on his pipe.

"Roundabout trail, an' roug