Jones had to hear every detail of all that had happened since his
absence in the East, and he was particularly inquisitive to learn
all about the twenty cattalo calves. He called different buffalo
by name; and designated the calves by descriptive terms, such as
"Whiteface" and "Crosspatch." He almost forgot to eat, and kept
Frank too busy to get anything into his own mouth. After supper
he calmed down.

"How about your other man--Mr. Wallace, I think you said?" asked
Frank.

"We expected to meet him at Grand Canyon Station, and then at
Flagstaff. But he didn't show up. Either he backed out or missed
us. I'm sorry; for when we get up on Buckskin, among the wild
horses and cougars, we'll be likely to need him."

"I reckon you'll need me, as well as Jim," said Frank dryly, with
a twinkle in his eye. "The buffs are in good shape an' can get
along without me for a while."

"That'll be fine. How about cougar sign on the mountain?"

"Plenty. I've got two spotted near Clark Spring. Comin' over two
weeks ago I tracked them in the snow along the trail for miles.
We'll ooze over that way, as it's goin' toward the Siwash. The
Siwash breaks of the Canyon--there's the place for lions. I met a
wild-horse wrangler not long back, an' he was tellin' me about
Old Tom an' the colts he'd killed this winter."