"Yes, he is dead all right," he said, "but all my belongings are
down there. My guns, six-shooters and all my ammunition. And," he
added ruefully, "I've heard so much about the brigands that infest
these mountains."

The girl laughed.

"Those stories are really exaggerated," she said. "I was born in
Lutha, and except for a few months each year have always lived here,
and though I ride much I have never seen a brigand. You need not be
afraid."

Barney Custer looked up at her quickly, and then he grinned. His
only fear had been that he would not meet brigands, for Mr. Bernard
Custer, Jr., was young and the spirit of Romance and Adventure
breathed strong within him.

"Why do you smile?" asked the girl.

"At our dilemma," evaded Barney. "Have you paused to consider our
situation?"

The girl smiled, too.

"It is most unconventional," she said. "On foot and alone in the
mountains, far from home, and we do not even know each other's
name."

"Pardon me," cried Barney, bowing low. "Permit me to introduce