d case. A short trigger man if I ever laid eye on one.
Anyway we jus' kept on, with me tryin' to think iffen I should Injun up to
git th' drop on 'em or not. Seemed to me, though, as how it might be
brighter to kinda jus' drift their way an' see what's makin' 'em rattle
their hocks out in th' middle of nowhere.

"Guess I weren't as smart as I thought I was. As I said, yesterday
suddenly they give th' spurs an' lit out. Me, guess I got kinda upset
'bout losin' 'em an' followed a bit too hasty. Hoss came down with a hole
in him. Me, I took another. Gave 'em a good sight of a man plugged where
it means th' most an' that musta convinced 'em I wasn't no problem no
more. So--that was what happened. I jus' pulled as green a trick as a
sod-buster tryin' to crawl a wild one! An' where Shannon is now I don't
know--only I don't think it's in Mexico."

"Probably with Kitchell." Hurriedly Drew filled in his own experiences and
what he had learned from Topham.

Anse looked about him. "For territory what looks so bare," he commented,
"this stretch of country sure must have a sight of population wanderin'
'round in it. Th' Old Man an' his posse somewheres up ahead, an' Shannon
an' that side-kick of his, an' Kitchell maybe, as well as th' Yankees
hotfootin' it behind you--or so you hope. Lordy, this's gonna be th' Battle
of Nashville over again' do they all meet up! All we need is a coupla bull
pups up on one of them ridges an' we could blow 'em all to hell-an'-gone!
Jus' which bunch is goin' to claim us first?"

"_Senores_, that is already decided," Teodoro said quietly.

Drew looked up. Where had they come from, those four? Out of the rocks
themselves? He only knew that now they were there, rifles over their
forearms, ready to swing sights on the three below. His heart gave a
lurch--Apaches? And then on the far right he recognized Greyfeather,
Rennie's chief scout. And it was Greyfeather who pointed to them and to
the way ahead, who gave an emphatic wave of the hand which was an order.
Leading their horses, they obeyed, the Pimas falling in behind.

The back-door route to the pass was a rough one. They had to leave the
horses and climb, two of the Pimas always in sight behind, guns ready.
Anse sighed.

"Seems like we have lots of luck--all of it plain bad. These Injuns run us
in an' as far as th' Old Man's concerned we're jus' what everybody claims
we is. We're a coupla saddle bums as is only on th' loose 'cause we got up
earli