“'The fall revivals ought to be startin' up about then, too,' he says, 'old folks gittin' religion all over ag'in and the mourners' bench overflowin', and off in the back pews and in the dark comers young folks flirtin' with one another and holdin' hands under cover of the hymn-books. But all the girls we left behind us have probably got new beaux by now, don't you reckin?' “'Yes, Billy,' I says, 'I reckin they have and I don't know ez I could blame 'em much neither, whut with us streakin' 'way off down here like a passel of idiots.' “He gits up and throws away his stick. “'Well, Jimmy,' he says, 'I'm powerful glad to find out we agree on so many topics. Well, good night,' he says. “'Good night,' I says, and then I rolled over and went right off to sleep. But before I dropped off I ketched a peep of Billy Priest, squattin' down alongside one of the other boys, and doubtless fixin' to read that other feller's thoughts like a book the same ez he'd jest been readin' mine. “Well, son, the next mornin' at sun-up we were all up, too. We had our breakfast, sech ez it was, and broke camp and mounted and started off with Billy Priest ridin' at the head of the column and me stickin' clos't beside him. I didn't know fur sure whut was on the mind of anybody else in that there cavalcade of gentlemen rangers, but I was mighty certain about whut I aimed to do. I aimed to stick with Billy Priest; that's whut. Strange to say, nobody ast any questions about whut we were goin' to do with reguards to them Imperalists waitin' there fur us in Monterey. You never saw such a silent lot of troopers in your life. There wasn't no singin' nor laughin' and mighty little talkin'. But fur half an hour or so there was some good, stiddy lopin'. “Presently one of the boys pulled out of line and spurred up alongside of our chief. “'S'cuse me, commander,' he says, 'but it begins to look to me like we were back trackin' on our own trail.' “Billy looks at him, grinnin' a little through his whiskers. We all had whiskers on our faces, or the startin's of 'em. “'Bless my soul, I believe you're right!' says Billy. 'Why, you've got the makin's of a scout in you.' “'But look here,' says the other feller, still sort of puzzled-like, 'that means we're headin' due North, don't it?' “'It means I'm headin' North,' says Billy, and at that he quit grinnin'. 'But you, nor no one else in this troop don't have to fol-ler along onlessen you're minded so to do. Every man here is a free agent and his own boss. And ef anybody is dissatisfied with the route I'm takin' and favours some other, I'd like fur him to come out now and say so. It won't take me more'n thirty seconds to resign my leadership.' “'Oh, that's all right,' says the other feller, 'I was merely astin' the question, that's all. I ain't dissatisfied. I voted fur you ez commander fur the entire campaign--not fur jest part of it. I was fur you when we elected you, and I'm fur you yit.'