their backs. But be on your guard, gentlemen, be on your
guard! Remember that you are strangers to the wolves and they will not
hesitate, if the opportunity offers, to rend you and even devour you."

A moment later his expression changed.

"Enough of this," he exclaimed in pleasanter tones, "come, dinner is
served," and turning, he led the way through the broad doorway of the
log ranch house into an almost sumptuously furnished dining room where
two silent, soft-footed Indians began immediately to serve a truly
remarkable meal.

"He may be lo-coed," whispered Pete to me as we took our places at the
table, "but I'll tell the folks, he is a master looney alright. He knows
how to make Injuns love him and varmints fear him, he kin pack all his
duffle in my bag, he need not cough up eny money when he's with me.
Reckon we be alright here, but waugh! we've gotter watch tha' black wolf
pack!--yes and also that young Indian whose ram you shot; it seems he
looks after the wolves and sees to it that they are fastened up in their
corral. I wouldn't want him to be sort of careless, you know."

CHAPTER XIX

What a dining room that was! All of logs, high ceilinged, with smoked
rafters stained like an old meerschaum pipe. It reminded me of a wealthy
man's hunting lodge in Maine, perhaps, rather than the abode of a wild
man. There was a huge yawning fireplace at one end, above which was the
finest specimen of an elk's head I have ever seen. There were other
heads, too, prong-horned antelope, beautiful bison heads, remarkable
specimens of bighorn sheep and mountain goats, there were buffalo robes
and wolf robes strewn over the floor, and there were abundant well
stocked gun cases on every hand.

But conspicuous among the collection of firearms was one, kept apart,
polished and cleaned, and on a rack made of elk horns handily placed
just above the big mantle. It was beautifully though not elaborately
made, with a fine damascus barrel of tremendous length, a lock and set
trigger that showed expert handicraft, and stock of beautifully polished
birds-eye maple. An expert would have known immediately that it was a
first-water product of an expert gunsmith.

Big Pete noticed it as soon as I did and he could not keep his eyes from
roving to it occasionally during the meal.

"You may scalp me, stranger, fer sayin' it, but I'd like mightily well
to heft that tha' shooting iron o' your'n and examine it when we git
through with chu