“Yes; and he found, as we did, that the half-breed was away north, also in the Blackfoot country. This seemed to amuse him. Williams feared to go back to Taos or Santa Fé; he feared to go to California; for there he might meet Lopez.” “According to what the Frenchman said, Williams is in mortal dread of the knife of the man he robbed,” said Joe. “And instead of being safe in the place he selected for hiding, he is really in great danger, with Lopez searching for him, as Shunan heard, from one Indian village to another. It would have been much better if he had returned, or had gone to California.” “Much better for him, perhaps,” said Kit, grimly. Then his expression changed and he added: “Well, it’s good news enough, lads; and we’ll see what can be done with it. The map is still in the hands of Williams; if it were not he’d not be so anxious to get to California. And so, if nothing else, it shows us that we still have him to look for. You were in luck to meet this man, Shunan.” At this the trapper noted the faces of the boys change in expression. “I don’t just know about that,” said Dave. “We were lucky, in a way,” admitted Joe; “but in another way we were not so much so.” “Something’s happened,” said Kit. Dave and Joe nodded. “Somehow,” said the former, “Shunan got to know of our interest in what he said in his boasting. It may be that he had heard of us, and, now that we’d got his attention, he’d placed us for the first time. Ever since then he’s been trying to get up some sort of a quarrel with us.” “Ah!” said Kit Carson. He sat looking at the boys steadfastly; and they saw a dangerous, narrowing light in his gray eyes. “I know Shunan,” said he. “I’ve known him for some time; and as you said when you first mentioned him, he’s quarrelsome and ready with his weapons. For him to try and pick a fight with a man means only one thing--and that’s a deadly one.” The prairie chickens were done, the flap-jacks nicely browned and the coffee piping hot when old Zeke Matthews came along. Immediately the boys sprang up and greeted him; he was invited to join them and did so with alacrity. “Roasted birds we get out in the trapping country,” said he. “But flap-jacks seldom, coffee seldomer, and coffee with reg’lar sugar in it, never at all.” And as Zeke ate of these delicacies, Kit told him of Shunan’s desire to quarrel with the boys, though he did not mention the reason for it. The veteran was indignant. “What!” demanded he. “Can’t he find no one but a passel of youngsters to fight with. Well, all I got to say is, let him look out for himself!” Released from the restraint of the wilderness where they were ever on the lookout for attacks of savage beasts or savage men, the trappers relaxed; the trading camp was a hubbub of sounds. Songs, the squeak of a fiddle, blustering talk and high pitched contention grew constant as each night passed and the day began.