ised if he listened to the small voice of reason,"
answered Sandy. "You tell yore aunt we're much obliged fo' the grub, Ed.
One of us'll be over afteh a bit an' tote our things across. We'll camp
here fo' a bit an' sit tight. I'd do the same, if I was you, Ed, spite
of yore friends. I don't doubt fo' a minute but what yore aunt is plumb
capable of lookin' out for herself, but you see, she's a woman an' yo're
a man, an' it's you folks'll be lookin' to."

The lad flushed with pride under the hand that Sandy set in chummy
fashion on his shoulder.

"I'll do that," he said, and, picking up the emptied utensils he had
brought he started off down and across the gulch.

"No sense in encouragin' him to hang around us," said Sandy. "There's
apt to be fireworks round here most any time between now an' ter-morrer
mo'nin'. Plimsoll'll shack erlong about sun-up--providin' he ain't able
to call the tuhn on us befo'. Mormon, if you'll go git our blankets an'
outfit, Sam an' me'll fix up those bu'sted guy ropes an' shift the
tent."

"You don't aim fo' us to sleep in it, do you?" asked Mormon.

"Don't believe we'd rest well if we tackled it. But it mightn't be a bad
scheme if we give the gen'ral idee that we _are_ sleepin' in it. I put a
lantern in the car when we stahted. Fetch that erlong too, will you,
Mormon?"

It was late afternoon before Mormon reappeared, bearing a camp outfit,
part of which was carried by Westlake. Sandy and Sam had repitched the
tent on fairly level ground of the valley bottom. The claim boundaries
ran to within fifty yards of the little creek named Flivver and the
tent-pins were set almost on the border-line. The ground was sparsely
covered with scrub grass, shrubs and willows, the space about the tent
clear of anything higher than clumps of bushes and sage.

Mormon's eye brows went up at the location with which Sandy and Sam,
seated cross-legged on the ground, one smoking, the other draining low
harmonies through his mouth organ, appeared perfectly satisfied.

"Why on the flat?" asked Mormon. "There's a heap of cover round here
where they might snake up afteh dahk an' sling anythin' they minded to
at us, from lead to giant powdeh!"

"Wal," drawled Sandy, flicking the ash from his cigarette, "it's handy
to watch, fo' one thing, an' yore right about that coveh, Mormon. That's
why we chose it. Sam an' me had a heap of trouble pickin' out this
place. Finally we found jest what we wanted, didn't we, Sam?"