oo--parts of it.
Romans they was called. Wonder now--did it maybe go back into a shield agin
afterward?" He gazed beyond Drew's shoulder into the world outside the
cantina door.

"Why would anyone want to store books in a trunk in a cave?" Drew changed
the subject quickly to break that unseeing stare. He outlined what Stein
had told him, and Anse's attention was all his again.

"Might catch up with this Lutterfield an' ask a few questions--"

"Stein couldn't get anythin' out of him. Guess the old man is a little
addled. Maybe someone was storin' stuff, hopin' to come back when the war
was over. Anyway, there's no way to identify the owner or owners--"

Anse picked up _The Three Musketeers_. "You say this is good--'bout
fightin' an' such?"

Drew nodded. "Try it ..."

"Somethin' like this is good t' have. A hombre gits tired readin' labels
on cans. I'd like to see how much Pa pushed into m' thick head. Good
coverin' this book has. Wouldn't you say as th' hombre that had it was
kinda heavy in th' pocket?"

"Yes. In fact, these were bound to order."

"How can you tell that?"

"These two might have come bound alike." Drew pointed to the book Anse
held and _The Count of Monte Cristo_. "They were written by the same
author and could have been part of a matched set. But this one is on a
totally different subject and by another writer--Prescott. Yet it is
uniformly bound to match the others. I'd say they came from the personal
library of a man able to indulge himself in pretty expensive tastes."

"Makes you think," Anse agreed. "Wonder what else was in that trunk."

"Looky what we've got us here! Regular li'l schoolhouse right in this
cantina!"

The table moved an inch or so as a thick body brought up with a rush
against it. A hand, matted with sun-bleached hair, made a grab for the
book Drew had just laid down. Before the startled Kentuckian could pull it
back from that grasp, hand and book were gone, and the trooper who had
taken it was reeling back to the bar, waving the trophy over his head.

"Schoolhouse ... right here ..." he mouthed. "Sittin' there ... two li'l
boys, studyin' their lessons. Now, ain't that somethin'?"

A chair went over with a crash. Anse was on his feet, had taken two steps
in the direction of the soldier. Drew jumped after him, trying to assess
the situation even as his hand closed restrainingly on the Texan's
shoulder.

There were four troopers. Wide grins on the faces of the three st