Once clear of the premises Welton laughed loudly.

“Well, my son, that’s your first shy at the government official, isn’t it?  They’re not all as bad as that.  At first I couldn’t make out whether he was just fat and lazy.  Now I know he’s a grafter.  He ought to get a nice neat ‘For Sale’ sign painted.  Did you hear the nerve of him?  Wanted a thousand dollars bribe to do his plain duty.”

“Oh, that was what he was driving at!” cried Bob.

“Yes, Baby Blue-eyes, didn’t you tumble to that?  Well, I don’t see a thousand in it whether he’s for us or against us.”

“Was that the reason he didn’t send over all his men to the fire?” asked Bob.

“Partly.  Principally because he wanted to help old Simeon Wright’s men in with the cattle.  Simeon probably has a ninety-nine year lease on his fat carcass—­with the soul thrown in for a trading stamp.  It don’t take but one man to count cattle, but three extra cowboys comes mighty handy in the timber.”

“Would Wright bribe him, do you suppose?”

Welton stopped short.

“Let me tell you one thing about old Simeon, Bob,” said he.  “He owns more land than any other man in California.  He got it all from the government.  Eight sections on one of his ranches he took up under the Swamp Act by swearing he had been all over them in a boat.  He had.  The boat was drawn by eight mules.  That’s just a sample.  You bet Simeon owns a Supervisor, if he thinks he needs one; and that’s why the cattle business takes precedence over the fire business.”

“It’s an outrage!” cried Bob.  “We ought to report him for neglect of duty.”

Welton chuckled.

“I didn’t tell you this to get you mad, Bobby,” he drawled with his indescribable air of good humour; “only to show you the situation.  What difference does it make?  As for reporting to Washington!  Look here, I don’t know what Plant’s political backing is, but it must be 99.84 per cent. pure.  Otherwise, how would a man as fat as that get a job of Forest Supervisor?  Why, he can’t ride a horse, and it’s absurd to suppose he ever saw any of the Reserve he’s in charge of.”

Welton bestirred himself to good purpose.  Inside of two hours a half-dozen men, well-mounted and provisioned, bearing the usual tools of the fire-fighter, had ridden off into the growing brightness of the moon.

“There,” said the lumberman with satisfaction.  “That isn’t going to cost much, and we’ll feel safe.  Now let’s turn in.”

III

The next morning Bob was awakened to a cold dawn that became still more shivery when he had dressed and stepped outside.  Even a hot breakfast helped little; and when the buckboard was brought around, he mounted to his seat without any great enthusiasm.  The mountain rose dark and forbidding, high against the eastern sky, and a cold wind breathed down its defiles.  When the wiry little ponies slowed to the first stretches of the tiresome climb, Bob was glad to walk alongside.