“Vait a minute!” snorted Oscar. “Ve must check up. Slim, are you and Hanry and Freeholey oil right?” “No,” replied Henry, “but we’ll do, I suppose. Why?” “Ay have found somebody else.” Oscar scratched a match, and yelled, “Yudas Priest! Das is Professor Fossil!” They all stumbled over and made a match-light examination of Professor Charles Winston Norbert. He was all dressed up in a black suit, white shirt and very high, starched collar. Slim said, “From the way he’s dressed, he must have knowed--” James Wadsworth Longfellow Pelly managed to get up and stagger over toward them. “I--I can’t get this straight,” he said huskily. “You never got anythin’ straight--so don’t worry,” said Frijole. “Stop teeterin’ --that aidge is too close.” “Let him weave,” said Slim quickly. Henry took hold of the editor’s arm and steadied him. “How did you get here Pelly?” he asked. “In a wagon,” whispered Pelly. “I--I was at the Circle G--visiting. The professor was going home; so I decided to ride back with them. Cooler at night, you know.” “How many of you on that wagon?” asked Henry anxiously. “Th-three,” stammered Pelly. “The professor, Jud Bailey and myself. But what happened--anyway? Don’t you know?” “I hate to say this, gentlemen,” remarked Henry slowly, “but I’m very much afraid that Jud Bailey and his equipage went into Lobo Canyon.” No one said anything for a while, and then Slim remarked, “Well, they ain’t here now, they didn’t go past that buckboard, and I’m fairly sure that they never backed up, Henry.” “I remember a little,” said Pelly shakily. “I--I thought we were going a little too fast for that curve. Then it happened.” “Well,” said Slim dryly, “all I can say is that you and Professor Fossil was lucky to get off on the right side. It was shorter that way. Shucks, you could be a-fallin’ yet.” * * * * * But the professor was not dead. He sat up, took a few wheezing breaths, but was unable to talk. An examination showed that their two horses were still intact, but the right front wheel of the wagon was gone and the body badly ditched on that side. They took the team, hitched it to the buckboard, piled everybody aboard, and headed for Tonto City, with Frijole and Slim taking care of the speechless professor. “Don’t talk with yore hands,” said Slim, “’cause we can’t read no hand-talk in the dark.” “Das is the lousiest deal Ay ever had,” declared Oscar sadly. “What was that?” asked Henry. “Losin’ de yug,” replied Oscar.