Big Medicine bethought him of the remains of the train lunch which they had frugally saved.  He brought that and added it to Applehead’s impromptu meal.  The sandwiches were mashed flat, and the pickles were limp, and the cake much inclined to crumble, but Applehead gave one look and took off his hat.

“I’ve et, but I can shore eat again when I git my eyes on cake,” he declared exuberantly, and pulled an empty box up to the table for a seat.  “I wisht Compadre could git a smell uh that there fried chicken; it would put new life into him, which he needs after tangling with that there coyote ’tother night.”

“We ought to unhitch and give the horses a feed,” Luck suggested.  “Any particular place?”

“Well, you know where to put them cayuses as well as I do,” Applehead mumbled, with his mouth full of cake.  “I don’t care what yuh do around the danged place.  Go along and don’t bother me, boy; I’m busy.”

“Didn’t I tell you how it would be?” Luck reminded Andy and Weary when they were outside.  “That old boy is tickled to death to have us here.  He sure is a type, too.  I’ll be using him in the picture.  And just tale a look at that corral down there!  We’ll set up camp this afternoon and round up some horses,—­Applehead always keeps a bunch running back here on the mesa,—­and to-morrow morning we’ll get to work.  A couple of you will have to take these teams back this afternoon, too.  I’ll let you drive the four-horse in, Weary, and lead the other behind.  And I’ll send the Native Son in with Applehead’s team and wagon, so you can haul out a thousand feet of lumber for a stage.  Get it surfaced one side,—­fourteen-foot boards, sabe?  And about twenty-five pounds of eight-penny nails.  We’ve got the tools in our outfit.  I wonder which pasture Applehead’s team is running in.  I’ll have one of the boys get them up, unless—­”

“Luck Lindsay!” came Rosemary’s high, clear treble.  “Aren’t you boys going to eat any dinner?”

“We’ll eat when we have more time!” Luck shouted back.  “Send Applehead out here, will you?”

Presently Applehead appeared with a large piece of cake in one hand and a well-picked chicken wing in the other.  “What yuh want?” he inquired lazily, in the tone that implies extreme physical comfort.

“I want your big team to haul some lumber out from town.  Where are they?  If you don’t mind catching them up while I help get this stuff unloaded, we’ll have things moving around here directly.”

“Shore I’ll ketch ’em up fur ye, soon as I find Compadre and give him this here bone.  He’s been kinda off his feed since that coyote clumb his frame.  He was under the house, but I reckon so many strange voices kinda got his goat.  There ain’t ary yowl to be got outa that hole no more.  Come, kitty-kitty-kitty!”