ed, a cheap victory, and yet one of which he need not be
ashamed.

The herder cane back presently and helped drive the sheep over the edge
of the bluff which bordered Antelope coulee. The bug-killer, upon his
side, also seemed imbued with the spirit of obedience; Andy heard him
curse a collie into frenzied zeal, and smiled approvingly.

"Now you're acting a heap more human," he observed; and the man from
Wyoming grinned ruefully by way of reply.

Antelope coulee, at that point, was steep; too steep for riding, so that
Andy dismounted and dug his boot-heels into the soft soil, to gain a
foothold on the descent. When he was halfway down, he chanced to look
back, straight into the scowling gaze of the bug-killer, who was sliding
down behind him.

"Thought you were hazing down the other side of 'em," Andy called back,
but the herder did not choose to answer save with another scowl.

Andy edged his horse around an impracticable slope of shale stuff and
went on. The herder followed. When he was within twelve feet or so
of the bottom, there was a sound of pebbles knocked loose in haste, a
scrambling, and then came the impact of his body. Andy teetered, lost
his balance, and went to the bottom in one glorious slide. He landed
with the bug-killer on top--and the bug-killer failed to remove his
person as speedily as true courtesy exacted.

Andy kicked and wriggled and tried to remember what was that
high-colored, vituperative sentence that Irish had invented over a
stubborn sheep, that he might repeat it to the bug-killer. The herder
from Wyoming ran up, caught Andy's horse, and untied Andy's rope from
the saddle.

"Good fer you, Oscar," he praised the bug-killer. "Hang onto him while
I take a few turns." He thereupon helped force Andy's arms to his side,
and wound the rope several times rather tightly around Andy's outraged,
squirming person.

"Oh, it ain't goin' to do yuh no good to buck 'n bawl," admonished
the tier. "I learnt this here little trick down in Wyoming. A bunch uh
punchers done it to me--and I've been just achin' all over fer a chance
to return the favor to some uh you gay boys. And," he added, with
malicious satisfaction, while he rolled Andy over and tied a perfectly
unslippable knot behind, "it gives me great pleasure to hand the dose
out to you, in p'ticular. If I was a mean man, I'd hand yuh the boot a
few times fer luck; but I'll save that up till next time."

"You can bet your sweet life there'll