“I reckon yer could,” said Bud sarcastically.  “I wuz offered ten dollars fer it by a hombre down ter Las Vegas a month ago.  But he was a husky feller, an’ wanted a strong shooter.  He wanted ter go out huntin’ fer a feller with it, an’ I wouldn’t let him hev it.  Is it a go, shore enough?”

“It be.”

“All right; come over ter ther camp an’ stay overnight, an’ fill yer pale American hides with ther best grub what ever wuz cooked on ther range.  Our cook is an artist.”

Bud led the way on his little, flea-bitten skeleton of a pony that snorted and reared, kicked, and showed the whites of its eyes when he woke it from the drooping position it had held while he was talking to the old man.

In half an hour they were in sight, from the hill they had topped, of a vast band of cattle grazing in a broad valley.

In a sheltered spot below the hill was a typical cow camp.  A white-covered chuck wagon shone in the rays of the departing sun, and the smoke arose from the cook’s fire, where he was baking biscuit in a Dutch oven, while the fragrant odors of frying bacon and steaming coffee filled the air.

“What have you found this time?” asked Ben Tremont, as Bud came into camp.

“This yere gent is a maverick from Missouri what I found wanderin’ across the peerarie searchin’ fer Yaller Fork, an’ he hez bantered me ter a hoss race, I ast him ter come in an’ stay overnight, an’ eat, an’ we’ll run ther hosses in ther mornin’.”

“What horses?”

“I’m goin’ ter run Hatrack agin’ thet magpie mare o’ hisn, an’ throw in a six-shooter with Hatrack if I lose.”

“Say, are you going altogether dippy?” growled Ben.  “Why, that little mare will run away from you as if Hatrack was tied to a post.”

“Reckon so?  Well, maybe I want to lose Hatrack, an’ maybe all I want is ter capture thet magpie pony.”

“Oh, what a lovely pony!”

Stella Fosdick had ridden into camp, and her exclamation of admiration for the magpie pony drew the attention of the boys to her.

“D’ye like thet thar pony?” asked Bud.

“I think it’s beautiful,” answered Stella enthusiastically.

“Then it’s yours.”

“What do you mean?”

“This old gent an’ me is goin’ ter hev a race in ther mornin’, hoss fer hoss, an’ when it’s over ther magpie hoss is yours.”

A peal of rippling laughter greeted this.

“See yere, gal, what is all this noise about?” asked Bud huffily.  “If yer laughin’ at ther idea o’ Hatrack beatin’ ther magpie hoss, don’t yer do it, fer thet’s showin’ ignerance o’ hossflesh, an’ I thought yer wuz too well brought up at Moon Valley ter think thet pretty spots on a hoss hez anythin’ ter do with his ability ter make a race er hold a cow.”

“Forgive me, Bud, I didn’t mean to laugh at Hatrack, but, really, he doesn’t look as if he could run any faster than a lame dog.”