boy is
prejudiced against the double-action gun, for some reason or other. He
manipulates his single-action weapon fast enough, however.

His sense of humor takes the same unexpected slants, not because his
mental processes differ from those of other men, but because he is
unshackled by the subtle and unnoticed nothingnesses of precedent which
deflect our action toward the common uniformity of our neighbors. It
must be confessed that his sense of humor possesses also a certain
robustness.

The J. H. outfit had been engaged for ten days in busting broncos.
This the Chinese cook, Sang, a newcomer in the territory, found vastly
amusing. He liked to throw the ropes off the prostrate broncos, when
all was ready; to slap them on the flanks; to yell shrill Chinese
yells; and to dance in celestial delight when the terrified animal
arose and scattered out of there. But one day the range men drove up a
little bunch of full-grown cattle that had been bought from a smaller
owner. It was necessary to change the brands. Therefore a little fire
was built, the stamp-brand put in to heat, and two of the men on
horseback caught a cow by the horns and one hind leg, and promptly
upset her. The old brand was obliterated, the new one burnt in. This
irritated the cow. Promptly the branding-men, who were of course
afoot, climbed to the top of the corral to be out of the way. At this
moment, before the horsemen could flip loose their ropes, Sang appeared.

"Hol' on!" he babbled. "I take him off;" and he scrambled over the
fence and approached the cow.

Now cattle of any sort rush at the first object they see after getting
to their feet. But whereas a steer makes a blind run and so can be
avoided, a cow keeps her eyes open. Sang approached that wild-eyed
cow, a bland smile on his countenance.

A dead silence fell. Looking about at my companions' faces I could not
discern even in the depths of their eyes a single faint flicker of
human interest.

Sang loosened the rope from the hind leg, he threw it from the horns,
he slapped the cow with his hat, and uttered the shrill Chinese yell.
So far all was according to programme.

The cow staggered to her feet, her eyes blazing fire. She took one good
look, and then started for Sang.

What followed occurred with all the briskness of a tune from a circus
band. Sang darted for the corral fence. Now, three sides of the
corral were railed, and so climbable, but the fourth was a solid