horses--all of them. No, he could not say--about thirty in the band,
perhaps. He--What? Yes, he had alfalfa and, if they wished, other
things--beans and rice and canned goods. No, the renegades had not
wholly cleaned out the store. Yes, he had matches. No, they had not--
What? _Vino?_ To be sure he had _Vino_! He would get--how many
bottles?--right away! It was in the cellar, where he kept it cool, and
reasonably safe from all marauders--including himself. With this slight
witticism he disappeared into the store.

The men dismounted. They sat down upon the porch, and one of them, the
large man, removed his hat, produced a blue bandana, and fell to mopping
his red face. The day was warm, and the settlement, lying low under
surrounding peaks, received none of the outside breezes. Also, it was
inert now, wrapped in the quiet of a frightened people. There was no
movement anywhere save that of ruffling hens in the dust of the trail,
and the nearer switching of horses' tails. Once this stillness was
broken. Among the houses somewhere rose feminine lamentations, wailing
sobs, the outburst cutting the quiet with a sharpness that caused the
men to turn grave eyes in its direction. And now the keeper of the store
reappeared, bearing three bottles of wine in his arms, and numerous
supplies, which the men accepted and paid for. Then all led their horses
back to the well, which was in a little clearing, and there prepared to
make camp, throwing off saddle-bags and accoutrements and building a
fire while they planned a real meal.

Pat was enjoying all this. The settlement had a faintly familiar look,
and he half expected to see a swarthy Mexican, whip in hand, approach
him with abusive tongue. Also, after weeks of far horizons and unending
sweeps of desert, he found in this nearness of detail pleasurable
relief. It was good to see something upright again without straining
across miles of desolation, even as it was good to see adobes once more,
with windows and doors, and smoke curling up out of chimneys. He felt a
deep sense of security, of coziness, which he had been fast losing on
the broad reaches, together with his sight for short distances. For his
eyes had become affected since leaving the white corral beside the
river, although with this he was aware of a peculiar gain. His sense of
hearing now was most acute, and he could hear the least faint
sounds--sounds which, before his taking to the open, he could not have
heard. So