Graveyard," said Brevoort. "A sizable bunch
of cactus alongside the road. We're closer to Sanborn than I figured."

"Well, we can't go any slower 'less we git off and set down," Pete
remarked. "Blue Smoke here is fightin' the bit. He ain't no graveyard
hoss."

"I notice he's been actin' nervous--and only jest recent."

"He always runs his fool head off--if I let him," asserted Pete. And
he fell silent, thinking of Boca and the strange tricks that Fate plays
on the righteous and wicked alike. He was startled out of his reverie
by Brevoort. "Mebby I'm dreamin'," whispered the Texan, "but I'm plumb
certain I seen somethin' drift into that cactus-patch."

"Cattle," said Pete.

"No. No cattle in these parts."

"Stray--mebby."

"I dunno. Jest sit light in your saddle and watch your hoss's ears.
He'll tell you right quick if there's another hoss in there."

Pete knew that the Texan would not have spoken without some pertinent
reason. They were drawing close to the deeper shadow of the cacti,
which loomed strangely ominous in the faint light of the stars.
Brevoort's horse, being the faster walker, was a little ahead and
seemingly unconscious of anything unusual in the shadows, when Blue
Smoke, range-bred and alert, suddenly stopped.

"Put 'em up--quick!" came from the shadows.

Pete's hand dropped to his holster, but before he could jerk out his
gun, Brevoort had fired at the sound--once, twice, three times . . .
Pete heard the trampling of a frightened horse somewhere in the brush.

"I got him," Brevoort was saying.

Pete's face was cold with sweat. "Are you hit, Ed?" he said.

"No, he missed me. He was right quick, but I had him lined against
that openin' there before he said a word. If he'd 'a' stood back and
kept still he could have plugged us when we rode past. He was too sure
of his game."

"Who was it, Ed?"

"I got one guess. We got the money. And he got what was comin' to
him." Brevoort swung down and struck a match. "I owed you that,
Brent," he said as the match flared up and went out.

"Brent!" exclaimed Pete.

Brevoort mounted and they rode on past the sinister place, in the chill
silence of reaction from the tense and sudden moment when death had
spoken to them from the shadows where now was silence and that
voiceless thing that had once been a man. "Got to kill to live!" Pete
shivered as they swung from the shadows and rode out across the open,
and on down the dim, meanderi