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to view his wretchedness. His fingers had released the- rifle, the glaze of death had blinded his eyes to the spectre that crawled slowly, deliberatel}"^, toward him.

"Jim ! Jim ! Don't shoot — it's me — your partner — Donaldson ! I've got some' water, Jim."

Yes, it was Donaldson. McNully lifted his head with an effort, but instantly it fell back upon the sand.

"I — I won't shoot, George," was the husky answer. "Water ! For God's sake, give me water !"

Donaldson came toward him, and from the bosom of his shirt extracted a couple of flasks containing the precious moisture. Hurriedly, tenderly, as brother unto brother, he lifted McN"ully's head and pressed the mouth of a flask, with its warm but welcome water, to the dying man's lips.

'"George! I — thought — I— had — killed — you!" McNully gasped.

"I was too slick, Jim. I thought this morning that you were gettin' demented, so T says to myself that I'd just keep my weather eye open. Long about the middle o' the afternoon I seen you playin' a little nervously with the trigger, so I tried to keep out o' range, an' while you wasn't lookin' I emptied the canteens into these two flasks, for I knew if you got hold of 'em we'd never pull through to water. Then, all of a sudden you fired the gim, but I knew you was insane, so I furgived you, old pal, and jest flattened out on the sand, thar, an' acted possum. I made careful to bury the bottles under the sand beneath me, so if you turned me over you wouldn't find 'em. I calcklated to get hold o' the rifle, but you kept it out'en reach, an' I wouldn't scrap for it. I jest let you take the empty canteens an' knapsack, an' when you was nearly out o' sight I gets up an' starts after you. I jest thought I'd let you travel as fur as you would, then I'd come up an' give you some water. You had the gun, though, an' tonight I was a little skeered of it, so I kept mum waitin' for you to go to sleep so I could sneak up an' steal it. That's all there is to it, Jim."

There was no answer. Jim opened his eyes and smiled faintly, but his voice had left him. He reached out and grasped Donaldson's hand. Finally his eyes again closed, and thus, from the darkness of the desert, he passed peacefully into the deeper darkness of death.

Donaldson's water had come too late.

^ * ^

In the morning Donaldson was crossing Ihe Amargosa with a good supply of water — and a village not far distant.

THE DEFENSE OF THE RANCHE

By 1. L. Graname

ww^^ GUESS it will be pretty lonely place over there, military grant, you know, out on the Eed Elk Creek most and I've got it all ready for occupancy.

I

of the year," remarked ex- Wish you'd give me some pointers as to

Trooper Billy Boyd, late of the peculiarities of that section, Sandy."

Her Majesty's Fourteenth Cameron grinned cynically and eyed

Hussars, as he pulled up his sleigh team Boyd in an exasperating way under his

at the gate of Fort Perry, North Alberta, coonskin cap and dense white eyebrows,

where old Sandy Cameron was kindling "Well, man, while ye'll likely be gray

his beloved pipe for the morning smoke, an' thrang wi' company ower yonner, I'm

"An' is that where ve're for?" answered thinkin'.

J?

the old frontiersman. He was one of the oldest trappers in

"Yes," replied Boyd, "I've got a good the Hudson Bay Company's serv