ll their
strength and weight. They were both powerful and heavy men. Dynamite
circled round and finally, after kicking the camp-fire to bits, fell
down on her haunches in the hot embers. "Let--her--set--there!" panted
Withers. And Joe Lake shouted, "Burn up, you durn coyote!" Both men
appeared delighted that she had brought upon herself just punishment.
Dynamite sat in the remains of the fire long enough to get burnt, and
then she got up and meekly allowed Withers to throw a tarpaulin and a
roll of blankets over her and tie them fast.

Lake and Withers were sweating freely when this job was finished.

"Say, is that a usual morning's task with the pack-animals?" asked
Shefford.

"They're all pretty decent to-day, except Dynamite," replied Withers.
"She's got to be worked out."

Shefford felt both amusement and consternation. The sun was just rising
over the ramparts of the canyon, and he had already seen more difficult
and dangerous work accomplished than half a dozen men of his type could
do in a whole day. He liked the outlook of his new duty as Withers's
assistant, but he felt helplessly inefficient. Still, all he needed
was experience. He passed over what he anticipated would be pain and
peril--the cost was of no moment.

Soon the pack-train was on the move, with the Indian leading. This
morning Nack-yal began his strange swinging off to the left, precisely
as he had done the day before. It got to be annoying to Shefford, and
he lost patience with the mustang and jerked him sharply round. This,
however, had no great effect upon Nack-yal.

As the train headed straight up the canyon Joe Lake dropped back to ride
beside Shefford. The Mormon had been amiable and friendly.

"Flock of deer up that draw," he said, pointing up a narrow side canyon.

Shefford gazed to see a half-dozen small, brown, long-eared objects,
very like burros, watching the pack-train pass.

"Are they deer?" he asked, delightedly.

"Sure are," replied Joe, sincerely. "Get down and shoot one. There's a
rifle in your saddle-sheath."

Shefford had already discovered that he had been armed this morning, a
matter which had caused him reflection. These animals certainly looked
like deer; he had seen a few deer, though not in their native wild
haunts; and he experienced the thrill of the hunter. Dismounting, he
drew the rifle out of the sheath and started toward the little canyon.

"Hyar! Where you going with that gun?" yelled Withers. "That's