erhuman agency.

"I know how you, Tender-foot, feel about this, but wait until you have a
chance to shoot it plumb through the head, and it gets away with it all,
and then tell me what you would think," said Elam sullenly. "You
probably don't have such things in the settlements, but that's no sign
that they aint found out here."

"I had as fair a shot at it as anybody could have," said Tom, "and it
wasn't over ten feet from me. I saw the blood spurt out from a hole in
its neck, and it flung the horse away from it, broke the lariat, and
went into the bushes. But do you think it is guarding that treasure?"

"I know it, and nobody can't make me believe differently. I have seen it
often enough, and it has got the mark of three of my bullets on it."

Elam faced about and went on his way at a faster gait than before, and
Tom let him go. As eager as he was to learn something about the Red
Ghost, he was still more eager to reach a permanent camp where he could
lie down and rest. He found that he was pretty nearly barefooted. His
sheep's-gray pants hung in tatters about his worn shoes, and Elam had a
way of jumping from one stone to another and coming down on top of a log
in a manner that he did not like. At length, when the sun began to go
down, and Tom experienced some difficulty in finding a place for his
feet, Elam stopped on the edge of a natural prairie, and pointed out
something a short distance off.

"There's my horse," said he. "And yonder, where that little grove of
trees comes down into the prairie, is where my shanty is located. Can
you stand it till we get there?"

Oh, yes, Tom could stand it that far. He fell in behind Elam, paying no
attention to the horse, which came up and followed along in their rear,
pushed his way along the evergreens, and was finally brought to a stand
by a door in a substantial log house. It was fastened by a bolt on the
inside, but as the string was out, Elam easily opened it.

"You are welcome to the cabin of Elam, the wolfer," said he, leading the
way in and pointing to a pile of skins which served him for a bed.
"Tumble in there, and don't get up till you get ready."

"Thank you," said Tom, handing his rifle to Elam and throwing himself at
length on the couch. "I never was so tired in my life."

Elam had hardly time to set the rifle up in a corner and shut the door
before Tom was fast asleep. How long he slept he did not know, but
during the whole of it he felt that he was unde