"Y-a-a-s," drawled the old man.
The Professor introduced himself, then one by one called the boys up and presented them, the old man gazing keenly with twinkling, searching eyes into the face of each one presented to him. Chunky said "ouch"
when Nance squeezed his hand, then backed off.
"This is Mr. Nance, the gentleman who is to be our guide," announced Professor Zepplin.
"We"re all glad to see you, Mr. Nance," chorused the Pony Riders.
"Ain"t all tenderfeet, eh?" quizzed the guide.
"No, not exactly. They have been out for some time. They are pretty well used to roughing it," declared the Professor.
"Good idea. They"ll think they haven"t before they get through with the old Grand."
"How about our ponies?" asked Tad. "Have you engaged them?"
"You pick "em out. I"ll take yon to corral after you"ve had your dinner."
All hands walked across the street to a hotel, where they sat down to the first satisfying meal they had eaten since leaving home.
"This beats the spirit meals we"ve been having on board the train,"
announced Stacy, his eyes roving longingly over the heaped up dishes.
"Don"t lick your chops," cautioned Ned. "There are some polite folks here, as you can see.
"What"s that you said about spirit meals?" quizzed the guide after they had gotten started with their dinner.
"The kind a fellow I knew used to make for his men on the farm,"
answered Stacy promptly.
"Tell us about it. I never heard you mention it," urged Tad.
"He fed his men mostly on spirit soup. Ever hear of spirit soup?"
"I never did. Any of you boys ever hear of spirit soup?"
The Pony Riders shook their heads. They were not particularly interested in Chunky"s narration. Ned frowned and went on with his dinner.
"Well, this fellow used to make it. He had barrels of the stuff, and-----"
"How is the chuck made?" demanded Jim Nance.
"I"ll tell you. To make spirit soup you catch a snipe. Then you starve him to death. Understand?"
Nance nodded.
"After you"ve starved him to death you hang him up on the sunny side of the house till he becomes a shadow. A shadow, you understand?
Well, after he"s become a shadow you let the shadow drop into a barrel of rainwater. The result is spirit soup. Serve a teaspoonful a day as directed," added Stacy, coming to a sudden stop as Ned trod on his toes with a savage heel.
Jim Nance"s whiskers stood out, the ends trembling as if from the agitation of their owner, causing Chunky to shrink within himself.
"Very unseemly, young man," rebuked the Professor.
"It seems so," muttered Walter under his breath; then all hands laughed heartily.
The meal being finished, Nance ordered a three-seated buckboard brought around. Into this the whole outfit piled until the bottom of the vehicle bent almost to the ground.
"Will it hold?" questioned the Professor apprehensively.
"I reckon it will if it doesn"t break. We"ll let the fat boy walk if we"ve got too big a load," Nance added, with a twinkle.
"No, I"ll ride, sir," spoke up Stacy promptly. "I"m very delicate and I"m not allowed to walk, because-----"
"How far is it out to the corral, Mr. Nance?" questioned Tad.
""Bout a mile as the hawk flies. We"ll be there in a jiffy."
It appeared that all arrangements had been made by Mr. Perkins for the stock, through a bank in Flagstaff, where he had deposited funds to cover the purchase of stock and stores for the trip through the Canyon.
This the Professor understood. There remained little for the boys to do except for each to pick out the pony be fancied.
They looked over the mustangs in the corral, asking the owner about this and that one.
"I"ll take that one," said Chunky, indicating a mild-eyed pinto that stood apparently half asleep.
The owner of the herd of mustangs smiled.
"Kind and sound, isn"t he?" questioned the fat boy.
"Oh, he"s sound all right."
"Do you know how to handle a pinto, boy?" questioned Nance.
"Do I? Of course I do. Haven"t I been riding the toughest critters on the ranges of the Rockies for years and years? Don"t I know how to rope anything that ambles on four legs? Well, I guess! Gimme that rope. I"ll show you how to fetch a sleepy pinto out of his dreams."
The black that Chunky coveted seemed, at that moment, to have opened his eyes ever so little, then permitted the eyelids to droop. It was not a good sign as Tad viewed it, and the Pony Rider was an excellent horseman.
"Better be careful, Chunky," he warned. "Shan"t I rope him for you?"
"I guess not. If I can"t rope him I"d like to see you do it."
"Sail in. You know best," answered Tad, with a grin, winking at Ned and the Professor. Jim Nance appeared to take only a pa.s.sive interest in the matter. He might have his say later provided his advice were needed.
Chunky ran his rope through his hands, then grasping the hondo, strode boldly into the corral.
"I reckon it"s time we were climbing the fence," announced Tad.
"I reckon it is," agreed the guide, vaulting to the top rail, which action was followed by the other two boys, only the owner of the herd and Professor Zepplin remaining inside the corral with Stacy.