here by fire."

And sleep he did, rolled up even as to his head, his feet to the dying
embers, while his hosts, undressing by candle light, grinned at each
other in silent amusement. When Dick came down with the triweekly
barrel of water he was astonished to see Qui-tha slowly weaving yucca
stalks into the wire that now bound the poles of the cook tent.

"For heaven's sake, Qui-tha, you old bum, you've always refused to work
for me!" he shouted.

The Indian grinned, then explained very seriously. "These white men heap
smart. Make strong medicine. Qui-tha work one week, pay white medicine
men."

Ernest called Dick into the living tent and made him an explanation
while Qui-tha looked inquiringly at Roger at the sound of Dick's
laughter.

"Do, for the love of all of us, keep feeding him peroxide until he's
cajoled into giving me a hand in the field. Won't Charley be amused by
this?"

But Qui-tha was not to be cajoled. He prolonged his promised week to
two, but would serve only his two medicine men. He was a most erratic
workman, but what he did, he did exceedingly well. The cook tent with
its woven sides of faded green was a structure of real beauty. Qui-tha
consumed a week in the doing of this job, and ate all of three dozen
cans of tomatoes, for which he displayed what Ernest called an
abandoned passion. After he had finished with the cook tent, he sat for
a day at the edge of the well, watching the two white men at their back
breaking toil, then he silently undertook to man the bucket hoist for
them. At frequent intervals he would refuse to hoist for a time and
would urge Roger and Ernest to rest with him.

"Why work all time, uh? Wind no blow all time. Sun no shine all time.
You no dig all time, uh? Sit with Qui-tha and smoke and think."

"He's got a lot of horse sense, Roger, after all, hasn't he?" said
Ernest one day after the Indian had laughed at them for their mad
driving at the waterless well.

Roger straightened his tired back. "Fine, for an Indian! I like to hear
him laugh. On things that don't demand our white sophistication, do you
notice what a good sense of humor he has?"

"By Jove, I wish he'd go up and help the Prebles. I think it's a fright
for Charley to be working in the fields," exclaimed Ernest.

Roger nodded. "Guess I'll try him on that angle." He clambered out of
the well and squatted by Qui-tha on the ever-increasing pile of sand and
stone by the well edge.

"Do you see that white