“I want to look up Jean.”
“Well, isn’t that the same thing? I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You have been good to me and given me a bite, now I’ll take the pack off of one o’ the ponies and let you saddle it, and then we’ll go out and look for your friend. I hope he really is somewhere,” added Rat, suspiciously.
“He was, the last I knew,” laughed Reuben.
In a brief time the suggestion of Rat had been followed, and after Reuben had carefully adjusted his saddle to the pony of his companion they decided to leave the remaining pony in the defile while they set forth on their search for the missing Jean.
Still Rat was loquacious. Apparently it made little difference whether or not Reuben replied or even listened to what he was saying. “You asked me a spell ago did I own these streams out here where I’m trapping. I told you I didn’t know as I did, but I likewise remarked that no one else had been putting in no claim for them. I don’t think many of them are likely to, not while I’m ’round.”
“There aren’t likely to be any here, are there?” remarked Reuben.
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, isn’t the other fellow that was with you? Isn’t he here?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” laughed Reuben.