vades your camp and makes free with your
things, but he never steals anything outright--he merely trades with
you; hence his name. He totes off a side of meat or a bushel of meal and
brings a cactus stalk in; or he will confiscate your saddlebags and
leave you in exchange a nice dry chip. He is honest, but from what I can
gather he never gets badly stuck on a deal.

Next morning at breakfast Johnny and Bill were doing a lot of laughing
between them over something or other.

FOOTNOTE:

[3] From _Roughing It de Luxe_. Copyright, 1914, by George H. Doran
Company. Reprinted by special permission of author and publisher.

[Illustration]

IV.--The Ole Virginia[4]

_By Stewart Edward White_

THE ring around the sun had thickened all day long, and the turquoise
blue of the Arizona sky had filmed. Storms in the dry countries are
infrequent, but heavy; and this surely meant storm. We had ridden since
sunup over broad mesas, down and out of deep canyons, along the base of
the mountains in the wildest parts of the territory. The cattle were
winding leisurely toward the high country; the jack rabbits had
disappeared; the quail lacked; we did not see a single antelope in the
open.

"It's a case of hold up," the Cattleman ventured his opinion. "I have a
ranch over in the Double R. Charley and Windy Bill hold it down. We'll
tackle it. What do you think?"

The four cowboys agreed. We dropped into a low, broad watercourse,
ascended its bed to big cottonwoods and flowing water, followed it into
box canyons between rim rock carved fantastically and painted like a
Moorish facade, until at last in a widening below a rounded hill, we
came upon an adobe house, a fruit tree, and a round corral. This was the
Double R.

Charley and Windy Bill welcomed us with soda biscuits. We turned our
horses out, spread our beds on the floor, filled our pipes, and squatted
on our heels. Various dogs of various breeds investigated us. It was
very pleasant, and we did not mind the ring around the sun.

"Somebody else coming," announced the Cattleman finally.

"Uncle Jim," said Charley, after a glance.

A hawk-faced old man with a long white beard and long white hair rode
out from the cottonwoods. He had on a battered broad hat abnormally high
of crown, carried across his saddle a heavy "eight square" rifle, and
was followed by a half-dozen lolloping hounds.

The largest and fiercest of the latter, catching sight of our group,
lau