84 IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS. 



" break/' walked down the first bank into the water, then 

 turned and waded slowly and deliberately down the stream 

 toward a deep hole that lay a few yards below the crossing. 

 His load consisted principally of Huffman's photographic 

 outfit, camera, dry plates, dark tent, etc. ; and when Huffman 

 saw that they were placed in jeopardy that the dry plates 

 were in imminent danger of being transformed into wet 

 plates by a process that would render them utterly worthless 

 to him that the camera was liable to be soaked with water 

 and ruined he became frantic. 



He dismounted and rushed madly down the bank of the 

 stream, yelling, throwing clubs, trying in every possible way 

 to head Nig off; but the ugly brute would not head worth a 

 cent. He looked mildly at the woe-begone artist out of his 

 left eye, stopped and drank a few swallows of water, took a 

 step or two, and looked again, first at Huffman and then at 

 Jack, who was on the opposite side of the river, shouting, 

 and throwing clubs, rocks and other debris at the long-eared 

 vandal. 



"Jack!" shouted the artist, "drive that cantankerous 

 brute out of that deep water, quick, or he'll drown my photo- 

 graph gallery ! Jump in and catch him quick ! Blank blank 

 that blanked long-eared son-of-a-gun to blankety blank! " 



" Jump in yourself," said Jack, " I don't want to get my 

 feet wet." 



And still the mule moved slowly down the stream, every 

 step taking him into deeper water, bringing his precious load, 

 valued at three hundred dollars, nearer and nearer to the 

 destroying element, while an artist to the mountains bound 

 cries, " Conley, do not tarry and I'll give thee a silver dollar 

 to drive that doggoned mule o'er the ferry." 



"Now, who be ye would cross Big Horn, this deep and 

 muddy water?" 



