greenish-shade Norfolk jacket with a badge on the left breast. A
Forest Ranger! Under his leg was a rifle in scabbard.

"Howdy?" he said, stopping and eying us.

Kit Carson and I saluted him, military way, because he represented the
Government, and answered: "Howdy, sir?"

He was cross, as he gazed about.

"What are you lads trying to do? Set the timber afire?" he scolded. He
saw the burned place, you know.

"We didn't do that," I answered. "It was afire when we came in and we
put it out."

He grunted.

"How did it start?"

"A camp-fire, we think."

He fairly snorted. He was pretty well disgusted and angered, we could
see.

"Of course. There are more blamed fools and down-right criminals loose
in these hills this summer than ever before. I've done nothing except
chase fires for a month, now. Who are you fellows?"

"We're a detail of the Elk Patrol, 14th Colorado Troop, Boy Scouts of
America."

"Well, I suppose you've been taught about the danger from camp-fires,
then?"

"Yes, sir," I answered.

"Bueno," he grunted. "Wish there were plenty more like you. Every person
who leaves a live camp-fire behind him, anywhere, ought to be made to
stay in a city all the rest of his life." (Note 52.)

He straightened in his saddle and lifted the lines to ride on. But his
horse looked mighty tired and so did he; and as a Scout it was up to me
to say: "Stop off and have supper. We're traveling light, but we can set
out bread and tea."

"Sure," added Kit Carson and Jed Smith.

"No, thanks," he replied. "I've got a few miles yet to ride, before I
quit. And to-morrow's Sunday, when I don't ride much if I can help it.
So long."

"So long," we called; and he passed on at a trot.

We had supper of bread and bacon and tea. The bread sopped in bacon
grease was fine. Jed felt better and drank some tea, himself, and ate a
little. It was partly a hunger headache. We pulled dead grass and cut
off spruce and pine tips, and spread a blanket on it all. The two other
blankets we used for covering. Our coats rolled up were pillows. We
didn't undress, except to take off our shoes. Then stretched out
together, on the one-blanket bed and under the two blankets, we slept
first-rate. Jed had the warm middle place, because he was the littlest.

As I was commander of the detail I woke up first in the morning, and
turned out. After a rub-off at the creek I took the twenty-two and went
hunting for breakfast. I saw a rabbit; but just