me."

The nights were chill and the cold made them huddle turtle fashion into
the upturned collars of their short riding coats and jam their hats down
as far as possible on their heads. Winter breathed across the land now
with the coming of dark.

They traveled at an angle, the pace set by Teodoro who led a pack mule.
Somewhere out there in the dark the Pima Scout was prowling. But he had
had his orders: no contact with the three travelers unless there was fear
of attack. And both Anse and Drew were alert, knowing that the farther one
went from the Stronghold the less one relaxed guard.

"Kinda nippy, ain't it?" Anse said. In the very dim light Drew could just
make out that the Texan was holding his gloved hand to his mouth, puffing
at the crooked fingers. "Ain't as bad as ridin' out a norther, though. I
'mind me how jus' 'fore th' war--I was ridin' for wages for Old Man Shaw
then--we had a norther hit. I'm tellin' you, it was so cold th' ramrod came
out to give th' mornin' orders an' his words, they jus' naturally froze up
solid. Us boys, we hadda go git th' wood ax an' chop 'em apart 'fore we
knew what we was all to do. Now that's what I call bein' cold!"

Drew laughed. "Don't think it ever gets quite that cold hereabouts."

It was good being away from the Stronghold, out here with Anse. It was as
if he had been let out of lessons, or freed from a sense of duty and
responsibility which was a growing burden.

"Nope. Texas sure is a lotta country, a whole bag with odds an' ends
stuffed in any which way. 'Course this is new range to me. But what I've
seen of it, were you jus' able to run off th' _bandidos_ an' git th'
Apaches offen it for good--why, it might be a right respectable sorta
territory. A man could carve hisself out a spread as he could brag on."

"You'd like it?"

Anse blew on his fingers again. "Maybe--all things bein' considered, as
they say. I've heard tell as how all a man needs to start his own brand is
a loose rope, a runnin' iron, an' th' guts to use them. It's been done,
an' is bein' done all th' time. Only I don't think as how th' Old Man
would take to havin' any such big-ideared neighbor here. Not much cattle,
though, to interest a wide loop man. Now hosses--everyone says as how
they's plenty of wild stuff. You got you Shiloh, Drew, an' you said you
made a foal deal with th' Old Man. Git some more good-lookin' an' actin'
wild ones an' you're in business--runnin' your Spur R brand. Three-f