TREES AND MORMON BEARDS 153 



"Come from St. George?" 



"No, Kanab." 



"Hain't been there long, I reckon. I pack 

 th' mail from there regular an' I never seen 

 ye." 



"I reached there yesterday. I rode up 

 through Arizona, and I've come upwards of 

 eight hundred miles." 



"Across th' Injun country?" 



"Yes." 



"What fer?" 



"Oh, just for a ride." 



He spat contemplatively and was silent 

 while I uncinched Button's pack saddle and re- 

 moved the blanket. Rubbing his hand down 

 the pony's round, smooth back, he asked: 



"Where'd you get th' cayuse?" 



"In Arizona." 



"Pack him all th' way?" 



"Rode or packed him every day." 



"Plumb good packin'. He hain't got a 

 scratch. Don't look as though he done it, but 

 I reckon he did if you say so." 



"I reckon so." 



"Funny place just fer a ride, acrost th' Injun 

 country. Must ha' been plumb hot on th' 

 desert?" 



"It was." 



