“And what is it now?” asked Adrian, fully expecting to hear him say that he was unable to get the conversation he had heard between them concerning Mark Braddon, out of his mind, to his surprise it turned out to be a very different affair entirely. “Why,” said Billie, soberly, with three lines across his broad forehead, such as always appeared there when he found himself up against a hard proposition, “you see, Adrian, I just can’t get it through my mind who he can be at all. Bothers me right along now, and the more I pound my head the worse it gets.” “But suppose you decide that he’s just what he claims, and let it go at that,” suggested the other. Billie’s lower jaw fell, and he turned to stare at the speaker. “Say, now, who d’ye suppose I’m talking about?” he demanded. “Why, that man Braddon, of course,” replied Adrian. Then Billie laughed merrily. “Why, bless your innocent heart, Ad,” he said, in his jolly way, “I wasn’t bothering my head the least bit about that gruff-voiced fellow. What’s been on my nerves is the mystery we’re up against.” “Mystery!” echoed Adrian, in a puzzled way; and then, as a light suddenly broke in upon him he went on to say hastily; “oh! I see now what you mean, Billie; you’re still badgering your poor brain about the unknown who shot the thieving young Apache buck when he was trying to rob us; and who you think must be the same party who put that warning in the split stick at the poisoned spring?” “That’s what, Adrian!” declared the other, with a big sigh; “and it’s keeping me awake nights wondering just who our unknown friend can be.” CHAPTER XX. BILLIE AND THE SHOWMAN. It was some time after the Broncho Rider Boys had finished their dinner that Adrian, while wandering around the village, chanced to come upon the old chief again. As the other beckoned to him, and started a conversation, Adrian found himself irresistibly impelled presently to tell the chief what he thought about such a scheme as the one he had heard the circus man propose. Adrian was something of a good talker; indeed, he some day expected to study to be a lawyer on this very account. And as the chief seemed glad of a chance to get some other person’s opinion concerning the honesty of Braddon, and the likelihood of his keeping a contract to the letter, he asked many questions. But of course Adrian was too wise a boy to state boldly that he believed the other to be a fakir, when he had no evidence along that line, save his own conviction backed by that of his chum, Donald; and they were supposed to be only a pair of boys, hardly capable of forming judgment on another. He confined the line of his argument upon other grounds, and succeeded in making the old chief very uncomfortable by his questions concerning the religious nature of the famous snake dance, and whether it would not be next door to sacrilege to perform it daily, just to amuse thousands of careless white people, for the mere sake of gain.