"You may ride over the whole State without finding a better. If you doubt it, look at the country for yourself." "We don't doubt anything you tell us," said Fred Greenwood. "I suppose you know that Mr. Dudley, the father of my friend, owns half the ranch?" "I've heerd that." "He didn't intend to buy it, but matters so shaped themselves that he couldn't help doing so. Before selling it, he sent us to take a look at it and find out whether it is all that was claimed. We have come to do that, but, at the same time, are eager to have some hunting among the mountains." "You won't have any trouble about that. As I was saying, we're close to the mountains, and when you're ready I'll go with you, and promise that you'll have something to talk about as long as you live." The eyes of the boys sparkled as they looked across at each other, and Jack said: "Nothing could delight us more. We need a veteran like yourself, and are happy to know you can serve us." "How many months can you stay in Wyoming?" "How many months?" laughed Jack. "We are under promise to be back at school in New York on the first of November." "Whew! I wish the time was longer." "So do we; but we had a hard enough task to get the month, so we must make the best use of it." "Wal, we can crowd a good 'eal into two or three weeks, and I won't let you go to sleep in the daytime--I'll promise you that." Hazletine produced a brierwood pipe and pressed some tobacco in the bowl. Although the motion of their ponies caused quite a brisk breeze, he lighted a match and communicated the flame to the tobacco without checking the speed of his animal. Then he glanced admiringly to the right and left, at his companions. "You're a couple of as fine-looking younkers as I've seed in a long time; but you're almost as tall as me, and it seems to me you orter be through with school." "We expect to stay in school another year and then spend four in college, after which several years will be needed to get ready for some profession." "Great Jiminy!" exclaimed the astonished ranchman; "you must be powerful dumb, or else there's more to larn than I ever dreamed of." "Well," said Jack, with a laugh at the simplicity of the fellow, "there are plenty of boys a great deal smarter then we, but the smartest of them can spend their whole lives in study and not learn a hundredth part of what is to be learned." Hank puffed his pipe slowly and looked seriously at the youth for a minute without speaking. Then he said, as if partly speaking to himself: "I s'pose that's so; a chap can go on larning forever, and then die without knowing half of it. I never had much chance at eddycation, but managed to pick up 'nough to read and write a letter and to do a little figgering, but that's all."