o. Ho, there, Panther! You and Obed, just a
minute or two!"

The two turned back. Ned and Will were walking at the rear of the little
company.

"I've asked Will to be one of us," said Ned, "to join our band and to
share our fortunes, good or bad."

"Can he make all the signs, an' has he rid the goat?" asked the Panther
solemnly.

"Does he hereby swear never to tell any secret of ours to Mexican or
Indian?" asked Obed. "Does he swear to obey all our laws and by-laws
wherever he may be, and whenever he is put to the test?"

"He swears to everything," replied Ned, "and I know that he is the kind
to make a trusty comrade to the death."

"Then you are declared this minute a member of our company in good
standin'," said the Panther to Will, "an' with this grip I give you
welcome."

He crushed the boy's hand in a mighty grasp that made him wince, and
Obed followed with one that was almost equally severe. But the boy did
not mind the physical pain. Instead, his soul was uplifted. He was now
the chosen comrade of these three paladins, and he was no longer alone
in the world. But he merely said:

"I'll try to show myself worthy."

They were compelled to stop at noon for rather a long rest, as walking
was tiresome. Fields, who was a good scout, went back and looked for
pursuers, but announced that he saw none, and, after an hour, they
started again.

"I'm thinkin'," said the Panther, "that Urrea has already organized the
pursuit. Mebbe he has pow'ful glasses an' kin see us when we can't see
him. He may mean to attack to-night. It's a lucky thing for us that we
can find timber now an' then."

"It's likely that you're right about to-night," said Obed, "but there's
no night so dark that it doesn't have its silver lining. I guess
everybody in this little crowd is a good shot, unless maybe it's Mr.
Roylston, and as we have about three guns apiece we can make it mighty
hot for any force that Urrea may bring against us."

They began now to search for timber, looking especially for some clump
of trees that also inclosed water. They did not anticipate any great
difficulty in regard to the water, as the winter season and the heavy
rains had filled the dry creek beds, and had sent torrents down the
arroyos. Before dark they found a stream about a foot deep running over
sand between banks seven or eight feet high toward the Rio Grande. A
mile further on a small grove of myrtle oaks and pecans grew on its left
bank, and there