rrow," said the camper.

"In the meantime, I see a string of trout hanging there. Are they
fresh?"

"I caught them early this morning," answered Wilbur, "before I began my
day's work."

The professor took out a roll of bills.

"How much do you want for them!" he asked.

"They are not for sale," the boy replied.

"Oh, but I must have them," the other persisted. "I had quite made up my
mind to have those for supper to-night."

"And I suppose, if I hadn't come home when I did," said Wilbur, "you
would have stolen those, too!"

"I would have recompensed you adequately," the former college official
replied. "And you have no right to use the word 'stolen.' I shall report
you for impertinence."

By this time Wilbur was almost too angry to talk, and, thinking it
better not to say too much, he turned on his heel and went to his own
tent. Before going down to the corral with Kit, however, he took the
precaution of carrying the string of fish with him, for he realized that
although the professor would not for the world have taken them without
paying, he would not hesitate to appropriate them in his absence. He
cooked his trout with a distinct delight in the thought that the
intruders had nothing except canned goods.

In the morning Wilbur was up and had breakfast over before the other
camp was stirring. As soon as the "guide" appeared Wilbur walked over to
him.

"I've given you a chance to look after your animals," he said, "before
turning them out. You take them out in ten minutes or I'll turn them
loose."

"Aw, go on," said the other, "I've got to rustle grub. You haven't got
the nerve to monkey with our horses."

Promptly at the end of the ten minutes Wilbur went over to the "guide"
again.

"Out they go," he said.

But the other paid no attention. Wilbur went down to the corral, the
gate of which he had fixed early that morning, caught his own two
mounts, and tied them. Then he opened the gate of the corral and drove
the other eight horses to the gate. In a moment he heard a wild shout
and saw the "guide" coming down the trail in hot haste. He reached the
corral in time to head off the first of his horses which was just coming
through. Wilbur had no special desire to cause the animals to stray,
and was only too well satisfied to help the "guide" catch them and tie
them up to trees about the camp. By this time it was long after the hour
that the boy usually began his patrol, but he waited to see the party
s