n the
rocks where he cannot easily be seen. But there is a plan I have thought
of--" Leon hesitated, and Drew guessed he was about to make a suggestion
which he believed might meet with disapproval.

"And this plan of yours?" Why had Leon come to him with it? Surely young
Rivas had better and closer friends at the Stronghold. Why approach a
newcomer?

"That pinto--he is a fighter; he likes to fight. He will not allow another
stud on the ground he claims."

Drew was beginning to understand. Wild ones were sometimes trapped by a
belled mare staked out to draw them in. But a stud to catch a fighting
stud was another plan altogether.

"You would offer him a fight?"

"_Si_, but not a real fight. Just allow him to believe that there would be
one. Pull him so out of hiding in the rocks--"

"Using what stud for bait?"

"_Senor_ Juanito--he said a stud that would fight too, like Shiloh."

"Shiloh!" Drew wadded the towel in his fist and pitched it across the
room. "Shiloh!"

Leon must have read something of Drew's blazing anger in his face, for the
Mexican's mouth went a little slack and his hand came up in an involuntary
gesture as if to ward off a blow.

"It is a good plan!" His boy's voice was thin in protest against Drew's
expression.

"It is a harebrained, dangerous scheme," began Drew; then he switched to a
question. "Did Johnny Shannon suggest using Shiloh for bait, or was that
your idea?"

"_Senor_ Juanito--he said one must have a good horse, a fighter. But such a
horse would not be hurt. We would wait with rifles and shoot the pinto
quickly before he attacked. There would be no harm to Shiloh, none at all.
_Senor_ Juanito said that. Only a trick to get the _diablo_ where we could
shoot. Maybe--" Leon's eyes dropped, a flush rose slowly on his brown
cheeks--"maybe it was very foolish. But when _Senor_ Juanito told it, it
sounded well."

"Did he tell you to ask me about it?"

The flush darkened. "He did not say so, _senor_. But one would not do such
a thing without permission. Also, you should be one of the hunters, no?
How else could we go?"

"Well, there won't be any huntin' of that kind, Leon. Trinfan knows what
he's doin', and I don't think that pinto is goin' to be runnin' loose--or
alive--much longer."

Drew pulled a clean shirt over his head. What kind of game was Johnny
Shannon trying to play? Apparently he had almost talked Leon into using
Shiloh as bait in this fool stunt. Had he expected th