Just got through, and riding round 'em,

'Cross the bluff, I saw your light.

No, thanks, pardner, had my supper;

Seems your fire is short o' wood;

I just thought I'd see who's camped here--

Gee! that bacon does smell good!"

9  

When the frugal meal was over,

When the pipes were filled and lit,

And the cowboy ceased his stories

Weak in moral, rank in wit,

Billy plied him long with questions,

Wording each with thought and care,

Lest his zeal for information

Should reveal his mission there.

"Tell me who you've seen go by here,

Just within the last few days;

What they had for teams and outfits;

How the country round here lays.

Have you seen a prairie schooner--

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