r
uncle, would believe that these people had had trouble with the Bedloes
and perhaps others in the town, and that they warped the truth in the
telling. For was any more faith to be put in the word of the Smiths than
in that of Buck Thornton himself? And did she not know him for what he
was, a man who was not above assaulting a defenceless girl, not above
robbery?

Wearied out, she went to sleep, her last waking thoughts trailing off
through the night after a man who could laugh like a boy, whose eyes
could grow very gentle or very, very hard and inexorable.

In the morning John Smith's first words to her drove again a hot, angry
flush into her face. For he told her that Thornton, before he would ride
away last night, had made sure that Smith would accompany her, showing
her the way and "taking care of her." She bit her lip and turned away.
She was grateful that soon breakfast was eaten, the horses saddled and
once more she was riding out toward the south-east. Smith rode at her
elbow.

All morning they rode slowly, over rough trails in the mountains where a
horse found scant foothold, where they wound down into deep, close
walled canyons where the sunlight was dim at noon, where the pines stood
tall and straight in thick ranks untouched by an ax. They came out into
little valleys, past a half dozen ranch houses, saw many herds of cattle
and horses, crossed Indian Gully, topped another steep ridge and at last
looked down upon the Poison Hole ranch.

The ranch lay off to the east as they looked down upon it, a great sweep
of rolling hills sprinkled with big oaks looking like shrubs from their
vantage point, cut in two by the Big Little River, along the banks of
which and out in the meadow lands many herds of cattle ranged free.
Rising in his stirrup Smith pointed out to her the spot near the centre
of the big range where Buck Thornton's "range house" was, a dozen miles
away over the rolling country. And then he swung about and pointed to
the south, saying shortly:

"Yonder's the country you're lookin' for. We strike due south here along
the edge of the Poison Hole ranch. When we get to that next string of
lulls you can see the hills of three states, all at once and the same
time. And you can see the town you're headed for; it sets on top a sort
of hill. Down yonder," and he swung his long arm off to the south-west,
"is the Bar X outfit; that's as far as I'm going. But, if you want
company, one of the boys will sure