lance around.
"Let's see if I remember all you told me about what a fellow has to
look for when he expects to go into camp. Water handy, grass for the
horses, wood for a fire, and shelter from a hidden mountain storm.
What better could we ask, I'd like to know? Is it a go, Frank?"

For answer the shorter lad jumped from his seat. His first act was to
remove the saddle, and then, with a handful of dead grass, rub the
sweaty back of the mettlesome animal, as every true son of the plains
always does before he thinks of his own comfort.

Next he hobbled the animal, and drove the stake pin, to which the
lariat was attached, deeply into the ground. After that the bridle
came off; and Buckskin's first natural act was to drop to the ground,
and roll over several times.

Bob was following this procedure with Domino. The intelligent animals
seemed to understand just what the programme was to be; for after
rolling, they walked down to the little watercourse to slake their
thirst; and then set about eagerly nibbling the sweet grass that grew
all around.

The two chums went about preparing to spend a night under the bright
stars, with a readiness that told of long practice. Bob, of course,
knew less than his companion about such things, but Frank had often
accompanied the cowboys on his father's ranch on their expeditions, and
had even spent nights in the company of old Hank, when off on a hunt
for fresh meat; so that he knew pretty well what ought to be done to
add to their comfort.

It pleased him to show Bob some of the things he had learned. There
might be no real reason why he should start a cooking fire in a hole he
dug, rather than make a roaring blaze that could be seen a mile away;
but Bob was tremendously interested, and would never forget all that he
learned.

"Besides," Frank explained, after he had the small fire started, "it is
easier for cooking, once you get a bed of red ashes; because in this
warm country a fellow doesn't much like to get all heated up, standing
over a big blaze."

Bob had, meanwhile, opened some of the bundles. One of these contained
a small coffee pot, as well as the frying pan without which camping
would be a failure in the minds of most Western boys.

"Look out for rattlers," advised Frank, as his chum went to the spring
hole to fill the coffee pot. "They often come to such places in dry
season We haven't had rain for so long now, that, when it does come, I
expect a regular c