278 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



down, buried in thought. All at once, coming 

 to a convenient log, he seated himself, and 

 made Lone Wolf lie down at his feet. Then 

 he took out the remaining sandwich which 

 he himself, still shaken from his fall, had no 

 desire to eat and contemplatively, in small 

 fragments, he fed it to the wolfs great blood- 

 stained jaws. At last he spoke, with the 

 finality of one whose mind is quite made up. 

 " Partner, " said he, " there ain't no help 

 for it. Bill Smith's a-goin' to hold me re- 

 sponsible for the killin' o' that there crittur 

 o' his'n, an' that means a pretty penny, it 

 bein' a thoroughbred, an' imported at that. 

 He ain't never a-goin' to believe but what I 

 let you loose onto him a purpose, jest to save 

 my hide ! Shucks ! Moreover, ye may's well 

 realize y'ain't popular 'round these parts ; 

 an' first thing, when I wasn't lookin', some- 

 body be a-puttin' somethin' onhealthy into 

 yer vittles, partner ! We've kind o' took to 

 each other, you an' me ; an' I reckon we'd 

 git on together fine, me always havin' me 

 own way, of course. But there ain't no help 

 fer it. Ye're too hefty a proposition, by long 

 odds, fer a community like Lost Mountain 

 Settlement. I'm a-goin' to write right off to 

 Sillaby an' Hopkins, an' let them have ye 

 back, partner. An' I reckon the price they'll 



