Bud cocked an ear toward him inquiringly, made nothing of the jumble and rode off to the cabin, leading Sunfish after him.

The fellow might or might not be the idiot he looked, and he might or might not keep his hands off the pack.

Bud was not going to take any chance.
He heard sounds within the cabin, but no one appeared until he shouted, "Hello!" twice.

The door opened then and Bart Nelson put out his head, his jaws working over a mouthful of food that seemed tough.
"Oh, it's you.

C'm awn in an' eat," he invited, and Bud dismounted, never guessing that his slightest motion had been carefully observed from the time he had forded the creek at the foot of the slope beyond the cabin.
Bart introduced him to the men by the simple method of waving his hand at the group around the table and saying, "Guess you know the boys.
What'd yuh say we could call yuh ?" "Bud--ah--Birnie," Bud answered, swiftly weighing the romantic idea of using some makeshift name until he had made his fortune, and deciding against it.