<4/ St. Mary's 



" Oh, yes " (smilingly) ; " we were 

 back." 



" No ; we had no sheep/' 



" Any shots ? Well, yes ; we had gotten 

 a shot at some." 



" Yes," yelled Hardeman, jumping up 

 and wildly gesticulating, "yes; we did get 

 some shots, and we missed 'em, and they 

 weren't fifty yards away, and there wasn't 

 any excuse and we are a couple of 

 chumps, that's what we are." 



After this frank statement of the facts, 

 there was nothing more to be said ; and we 

 were soon packed up, and picking our way 

 back toward our permanent camp. 



The next day found everybody out of 

 camp but Hardeman and myself. We had 

 not had much to say, both of us thinking 

 the same thing, both afraid to utter our 

 thought. 



Finally I could stand it no longer. 



Hardeman was sitting in the tent driv- 

 ing some hob-nails in the soles of his shoes. 

 I was standing in the doorway, my eyes 

 fastened on Kootenai, in misty view from 

 here. 



" I wonder if they will return," I said, 

 musing to myself. 



" Eh," said Hardeman, in a suspiciously 

 eager tone. 



295 



