"This have I done a long while, Senors, believe me," he said, calmly;
"and until to-day never have I met with trouble. Had I not been so
tired and sleepy, perhaps even I might have shot the bear, who knows?
It would not be the first I have seen, no, nor yet the second; but the
horse ran away with my gun. But Senors, I must go on after my animals;
they will be waiting for me farther along."

"Then you won't wait for us?" asked Frank. "My friend, he would like
to get the claws of this fellow, to remember him by. It will not take
very long, Lopez."

"Thank you, Senors, but I must not delay. Perhaps you may overtake me
farther along the trail. There is no more danger; and my pack burro
might scrape off his load if I am not there to watch. Again I thank
you, Senors."

The boy bowed to each of them in turn, just as though he might have
been an actor in some old-time play. Frank believed he had never seen
such remarkable grace in any half-grown lad. Generally, at that age,
boys are apt to be about as clumsy as bear cubs at play. He looked
after Lopez with a frown on his face.

"What's the matter, Frank?" demanded Bob, as he noticed this
expression. "Are you huffed just because the independent little rascal
wouldn't let us mother him? Say, look at his strut, will you? If he
was heir to the throne of Alfonso he couldn't walk finer. Give me a
whack between the shoulders, won't you, Frank? Perhaps I've been
asleep, and dreamed all this."

"Oh, rats! Take a look at the bear, and that'll show you what's what.
There, he's disappeared behind that clump of mesquite yonder," and
Frank turned to look at his saddle mate with an expression of
bewilderment on his face, as though he might be trying to clutch some
idea that kept eluding him.

"Suppose you help me cut these awful claws off, Frank. You see I don't
know the first thing about how it's done; and I think your idea about
keeping 'em for trophies is just immense."

"Well, for that matter," replied Frank, "I don't know as I ever did a
job like that, myself; but I've watched old Hank do it, so I reckon
we'll get along."

For a few minutes they worked away in silence. Then Bob looked up to
remark:

"He said it was prospectors he was taking those supplies to, didn't he;
and that he'd been doing the same a long while?"

"That was about the size of it, Bob," returned his chum, thoughtfully.

"Well," Bob went on, "between you and me, Frank, I'd rather bel