THE RETIRED BOSTON MERCHANT. 27 



"Hello, there, yourselves," was the response. 

 " Where in time did you fellows come from? " 



"From Johnson's ranch." 



" I want to know ! " 



"Is this Harvey's ranch? " 



"Yes; but how in time did you fellows get up 

 here? " 



" Well, we saw burro-tracks leading this way and 

 followed them." 



" I want to know ! Well, you did mighty well to 

 find the place." 



By this time the whole party was seated on one of 

 the logs and the equipment of the visitors fully in- 

 spected by the owner of the ranch, who finally said : 



"Say, what in time are you fellows going to do 

 with those fish-nets? There ain't no fish on the top 

 of this mountain. I have been here going on six 

 weeks and it ain't rained a drop since I came here." 



"Where did you come from, anyway, that you 

 don't know insect-nets? " 



" Well, I want to know ! I heard about you bug- 

 hunters down to Vegas. I wish you would catch all 

 the green-head flies. They pester my old cow and 

 burro almost to death." 



" You don't mean to say that a cow and burro can 

 live up here? " 



" Live up here? Why, there's the finest grass up 

 here you ever saw. Look at my potatoes down 

 there ; they were planted three weeks ago to-day. 

 Did you ever see anything like it in your country? 

 It hasn't rained a drop since I came, neither." 



" Is there a good place to camp around here? " 



