“Aw, gwan!” Happy Jack adjured crossly.  He was thinking of all the water he had carried painstakingly in his hat, for the relief of this conscienceless young reprobate, and he was patently suspicious of some new trick.

“Well, by gracious!” Andy rode quite close—­dangerously close, considering the mood they were in—­and eyed them queerly.  “I sure must have a horrible rep, when yuh won’t believe your own eyes just because I happen to remark that a bear is a bear.  I’ll call it a pinto hog, if it’ll make yuh feel any better.  And I’ll say it wasn’t doing any digging; only, I’m going down there and take a look.  There’s an odor—­”

There was, and they could not deny it, even though Andy did make the assertion.  And though they had threatened much that was exceedingly unpleasant, and what they would surely do to Andy if they ever got him within reach, they followed him quite peaceably.

They saw him get off his horse and stand looking down at something—­and there was that in his attitude which made them jab spurs against their horses’ flanks.  A moment later they, too, were looking down at something, and they were not saying a word.

“It’s Dan, all right,” said Andy at last, and his tone was hushed.  “I hunted the coulee over—­every foot of it—­and looked up some of the little draws, and went along the river; but I couldn’t find any trace of him.  I never thought about coming up here.

“Look there.  His head was smashed in with a rock or something—­ugh!  Here, let me away, boys.  This thing—­” He walked uncertainly away and sat down upon a rock with his face in his hands, and what they could see of his face was as white as the tan would permit.  Somehow, not a man of them doubted him then.  And not a man of them but felt much the same.  They backed away and stood close to where Andy was sitting.

“You wouldn’t believe me when I told yuh,” he reproached, when the sickness had passed and he could lift his head and look at them.  “You thought I was lying, and yuh made yourselves pretty blamed obnoxious to me—­but I got even for that.”  There was much satisfaction in his tone, and the Happy Family squirmed.  “Yuh see, I was telling the truth, all right—­and now I’m going to get even some more.  I’m going to take—­er—­Pink along for a witness, and notify the outfit that yuh won’t be back for a day or two, and send word to the sheriff.  And you jaspers can have the pleasure uh standing guard over—­that.”  He shivered a little and turned his glance quickly away.  “And I hope,” he added maliciously, as he mounted his own horse, “you’ll make Jack Bates stand an all-night guard by his high lonesome.  He’s sure got it coming to him!”

With Pink following close at his heels he rode away up the ridge.

“Say, there’s grub enough on old Buck to do yuh to-night,” he called down to them, “in case Chip don’t send yuh any till to-morrow.”  He waved a subdued farewell and turned his face again up the ridge, and before they had quite decided what to do about it, he was gone.