us seconds he felt flesh and
muscles tense under his weight; then the body relaxed.

His hand went up. "Open the gate!" he called softly.

Seeming to realize he was free of the pole walls, the black exploded in a
burst of speed which was close to Shiloh's racing spurt. Drew let him go.
Three-quarters of an hour later he rode back, the black blowing foam, but
answering the rein.

He found _Don_ Cazar, Bartolome, and Hilario Trinfan waiting for him by
the corral. The mustanger walked forward with a lurch, his head thrown far
back so he could look up at Drew from under the wide brim of his sombrero.

"This you could not do with a true wild one," he commented.

"I know that, _senor_. This colt was not an enemy, one who has already
been hunted by man. He was only afraid...."

"But you have the gift. It is born in one--the gift. A man has it, and the
horse always knows, answers to it. Ride with me, _senor_, and try that
gift on the wild ones!"

"Someday--" That was true. Someday Drew did want to ride after the wild
ones. Anse's stories of horse hunting on the Texas plains had first
stirred that desire. Now it was fully awake in him.

_Don_ Cazar inspected the black closely. "Well, Bartolome, what have you
to say now?"

"_Senor_ Kirby knows his business," the Mexican admitted. "Though I think
also that this was no true wild one. He will make a good remount, but he
is no fighter such as others I have seen here."

Drew unsaddled and left the black in with Croaker; he fed both animals a
bait of oats. In the morning he would be at this again. And he still had
not solved the problem of roping. He could not expect Teodoro to come to
his aid a second time. He started slowly back to the bunkhouse.

"_Senor_--?"

Drew raised his wet head from the bunkhouse basin and reached out for a
sacking towel. "Yes?"

Leon sat on a near-by bunk. "I have thought of something--"

"Sounds as if it might be important," Drew commented.

"_Don_ Cazar, he has offered money--a hundred dollars in gold--to have off
the Range that killer pinto stud. But that one, he is like the Apache; he
is not to be caught."

"Can't someone pick him off with a rifle?"

"Perhaps. Only that has also been tried several times, _senor_. My father,
he thought he had killed him only two months ago. But the very next week
did not the pinto come to steal mares from the bay _manada_? It must have
been that he was only creased. No, he is a _diablo_, and he hides i