d your young hide when you bulled off after that
bear," said the latter. "Now I seem to see what them salvation scouts
calls 'the finger of Providence' in the play. In other words, it's
plumb safe to keep one eye skinned. Do I look like I was scared,
Sandy?"

"Nah!" said Sandy contemptuously.

"Well, you're going to see me act like I was." He rose swiftly, his
laziness falling from him now that there was work to do. "Go and fetch
in them cayuses. I'll break camp."

The horses being on picket caused no delay. When Sandy brought them in,
McHale had their entire outfit in two heaps, ready to pack. With the
skill and swiftness of experience they made the packs, threw the
hitches, drew the lash ropes tight. The result was two compact bundles
which could not work loose.

"I dunno who our friends are," said McHale, as they rode out of camp,
"but if it's this here Dade bunch, say, what a surprise they'd have
give me all by myself. I can just see me gettin' up in time to fall
down."

"They've got no license to chase us all over," said Sandy. "We don't
have to stand for it, do we? How'd it be if we held up their camp? Or
else we could lay for them as they came along, and settle it right
there."

"Bushwhack 'em?" said McHale. "No, I reckon not. We want to keep out of
trouble. If we held 'em up what'd we do with them? We couldn't tie 'em
and leave 'em; and we couldn't pack 'em around. Nothing for it but to
run like men. The country's big enough for both of us."

Sandy grunted disapproval, but said no more. Personally he would have
welcomed a fight. He was a marvellously quick and accurate shot with
either rifle or revolver, and he was ready to make a friend's quarrel
his own. However, he deferred to McHale's views.

Farther down the Klimminchuck they turned up a nameless tributary
creek, following its course with difficulty, for the way was choked
with down timber and slides, until they reached a beautiful little
basin high up above the valley. There the creek had its source or
sources; for the drainings of the basin were collected in a little lake
lying beneath bare cliffs. The water was swarming with trout, so that
one supply of food was assured.

Beside the lake and the cliffs they made camp. They could not see the
valley, neither could they be seen thence; but by walking half a mile
they could look down into it. Sandy, mindful of his disappointment,
began to prospect for bear.

McHale relapsed once more into a mor