nd by way of Tuolumne. This was to
consume two weeks! Finally he became more personal. He told us how
President Roosevelt when on his Pacific Coast tour had spoken to him
personally.

"When the train started," said he, "I ran after it as hard as I could
with a lot of others, but I ran a lot faster and got ahead, so the
President spoke directly to me--not to the crowd, but to _me_!"

He left us suitably impressed. Next morning his camp was astir at five
o'clock--as was proper considering the strenuous programme he had
outlined. About seven our friend came over to get his animals, which he
had turned out in the Supervisor's pasture over night--ten animals in
another man's mountain pasture! We had a shooting match, and talked
Reserve matters for just one hour and twenty minutes. Then somebody
waked up.

"I wonder what's become of Jones; let's go see."

We went. Jones was standing dusty in the middle of the corral. In his
hand he held a short loop not over three feet across. This he whirled
forward and _overhand_. Occasionally he would cast it at a horse. Of
course the outraged and astounded animal was stricken about the knees,
whereupon he circulated the confines of the corral at speed.

[Sidenote: Jones and the Mule]

And the animals! At the moment of our arrival Jones was bestowing
attention on a dignified and gaunt mule some seventeen hands high. I
never saw such a giraffe. Two about the size of jackasses hovered near.
One horse's lower lip wabbled abjectly below a Roman nose.

We watched a few moments; then offered mildly to "help." Jones, somewhat
heated and cross, accepted. The first horse I roped I noticed was
barefoot. So were the others. And the route was over a rough granite and
snow country. Thus we formed a procession, each leading some sort of
equine freak. It was by now nearly nine o'clock.

Camp we found about half picked up. The other members of the party were
nice, well-meaning people, but absolutely inexperienced in the ways of
the wilderness. They had innocently intrusted themselves to Jones on the
strength of his self-made reputation; and now undoubtedly were taking
all this fuss and discomfit quite as part of "roughing it."

[Sidenote: Helping the Tenderfeet]

When we saw them we were stricken with pity and a kindly feeling which
Jones had failed to arouse, so we turned in to help them saddle up.

Jones was occupied with a small mule which he claimed was "bad." He
hitched said mule to a tr