How he ever got to Tornado Canon was a mystery; and at first sight j how he lived there was a greater one.' ! And yet Idp not think I am exaggerating when I say he was ‘ the most influential man in the place. I have sometimes wondered, although I knew • Willie very well* why this' should be..- Cer tain it was that all disputes in camp were referred to him, and that he would have been' a bold man who would haVe dared to touch Willie in a hostile manner. There were two things about him which gave him the power he i had—one his ‘ unflinching in'- 1 tegrity, and the other his habit of always de fending the absent. ' His love of truth' was so well known that had he said the sun was. green, the men in Tornado would , have, sworn it was so ; and noman ever casta slur upon one- who : was away, in Willie’s. presence, that he was not heard in his de fence. In fact*-in Tornado’ Willie was more than respected—he was loved. • * Men would §o to him and tell him things'they scarcely ' ared to whisper to /themselves, sure of sympathy, and, if need be, counsel.' And Willie's counsel was always right. He would gladly spend a day at any time to re concile men who had had a difficulty,' and the happy look upon his face when he had succeeded seemed to lighten up the camp ■ like a beam of sunshine. :’> > * :r ! ;• ;

“No, Llanero weren’t ' aII J bad,” said Willie once more. “Fve heard of some thing he did once and I’ll tell you if you don’t mind. All right, l eh? Well, then, some years ago Llanero was one of a party crossing the plains. It was hack in ’53 when the Comanches and Blackfeet rarely allowed a train to go through without at tacking it, and the emigrants used to meet in St. Jo and wait until enough had come to form a train that had-enough men in it to stand some show in a fight with the red skins.”- - s ' 1. - ‘‘ That’s true*" interrupted' Dungaru Sam. 