, and don't you forget it! And I
don't want no maniac wanderin' round me with a gun. You go to gatherin'
up wood as fast as ever God'll let you!"

"Say, I was mistaken," said the deposed leader, thoroughly convinced
once more. "You do look like Bransford, you know." He laid down his
rifle obediently.

"Look like your grandmother's left hind foot!" sneered the outraged
miner. "My eyes is brown and so's Bransford's. Outside o' that----"

"No, but you do, a little," said his ally, Steele. "I noticed it myself,
last night. Not much--but still there's a resemblance. Poor Cap Griffith
just let his nerves and imagination run away with him--that's all."

Long sniffed. "Funny I never heard of it before," he said. He was
somewhat mollified, nevertheless; and, while cooking breakfast, he
received very graciously a stammered and half-hearted apology from young
Mr. Griffith, now reduced to the ranks. "Oh, that's all right, kid. But
say--you be careful and don't shoot your pardner when he comes back."

Gurdon brought back the sorrel horse and the saddle, thereby allaying
Mr. Long's wrathful mistrust that the whole affair was a practical joke.

"I told you butter wouldn't suit the works!" said Rex triumphantly, and
watched the working of his test with a jealous eye.

Long knew his Alice. "'But it was the best butter,'" he said. He
surveyed the sorrel horse; his eye brightened. "We'll whack up that
blood-money yet," he announced confidently. "Now I'm going to walk over
to the south side and get one of those fellows to ride sign round the
mountain. You boys can sleep, turn and turn about, till I get back. Then
I want Steele to go to Escondido and wire up to Arcadia that we've got
our bear by the tail and want help to turn him loose, and tell Pappy
Sanders to send me out some grub or I'll skin him. Pappy's putting up
for the mine, you know. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Griffith." He
gave that luckless warrior a jeering look, as one who has forgiven but
not forgotten.

"Why don't you ride one of our horses?" said Gurdon.

"Want to keep 'em fresh. Then if Bransford gets out over the cliffs you
can run him down like a mad dog," said Tobe. "Besides, if I ride a fresh
horse in here he'll maybe shoot me to get the horse; and if he could
catch you lads away from shelter maybe so he'd make a dash for it,
a-shootin'. See here! If I was dodgin' in here like him--know what I'd
do? I'd just shoot a few lines on general principles to dr