Service" painted on it,
the professor had ordered the guide to smash the gate and let the
animals in.

Wilbur was angry, and took no pains to conceal it.

"Who turned those horses into my corral?" he demanded.

The professor, who wore gold-rimmed eyeglasses above a very dirty and
tired face, replied:

"I am in charge of this party, and it was done at my orders."

"By what right do you steal my pasture?" asked the boy hotly.

"I understood," said the professor loftily, "that it was the custom of
the West to be hospitable. But you are probably too young to know. Your
parents live here?"

"No," replied the lad. "I am a Forest Guard, and in charge of this
station. You will have to camp elsewhere."

At these last words the flap of the tent was parted and a woman came
out, the professor's wife, in fact. She looked very tired and much
troubled.

"What is this?" she asked querulously. "Have we got to start again
to-night?"

Wilbur took off his hat.

"I beg your pardon," he said, "I did not know there were ladies in the
party." He turned to the professor. "I suppose if it will bother them
I'll have to let you stay. But if it hadn't been for that I'd have
turned every beast you've got out into the forest and let them rustle
for themselves."

"Yes, you would!" said the guide. "An' what would I have had to say?"

"Nothing," said Wilbur, "except that I'd have you arrested for touching
U. S. property." He turned to the professor: "How did you get here?" he
said.

"Up that road," said the older man, pointing to the southwest.

"And why didn't you camp a couple of miles down? There's much better
ground down there."

"The guide said there was no place at all, and he didn't know anything
about this camp, either, and we thought we would have to go on all
night."

Wilbur snorted.

"Guide!" he said contemptuously. "Acts more like a stable hand!"

"Well," said the professor testily, "if there's been any damage done you
can tell your superiors to send me a bill and I'll take the matter up in
Washington. In the meantime, we will stay here, and if I like it here, I
will stay a week or two."

"Not much, you won't," said Wilbur, "at least you won't have any horses
in the corral after daybreak to-morrow morning. I'll let them have one
good feed, anyhow, and if they're traveling with a thing like that to
look after them,"--he pointed to the "guide,"--"they'll need a rest. But
out they go to-morrow."

"We will see to-mo