river here again, or they keep on down below Rincon to Barela Bosque.
Maybe they save up till they get a wagonload of saddles, cover them up
with a tarp or maybe some farm truck, and drive whistlin' down the big
road to El Paso."

"Anyhow," said Hales, "the Cattle Association has offered an even
thousand for information leading to conviction, and we're going to
watch the passes and water holes--here and at Hadley Spring and
Palomas Gap. If you help get the thousand, you help spend it. That's
right, ain't it, boys?"

The others nodded.

"Go with you, you mean?"

"No. You stay here--so long as you're here anyway--while we ride up
the line. That way, one of us can go on and watch Mescal. We was one
man shy before," said Caney. "Does it go?"

"It goes."

"Take your silly location papers then, and we'll ride. We're going
across to have a look for tracks in Deadman first." He jerked his chin
toward a notch in the hills, halfway between the head of Apache Canyon
and the head of Redgate. "Then we'll go up by MacCleod's Tank and on
through to the Jornada and up the east side of Timber Mountain."

"Me, I reckon I'll post my notice and then go mail the copies to the
recorder's office," said Adam. "Thank'ee, gentlemen. _Adios!_"

* * * * *

Jody Weir pulled up his horse behind the first hill.

"Fellers, that man has made a strike! Didya see his face--all sweat
and dust? Adam Forbes is not the man to rustle like that in this
broiling sun unless he was worked up about something. He didn't act
natural, nohow. He drawls his talk along, as a usual thing--but to-day
he spoke up real crisp and peart. I tell you now, Forbes has found the
stuff!"

"I noticed he didn't seem noways keen for us to go help post his
papers," said Caney.

"Humph! I began noticin' before that," said Toad Hales. "Us signing as
witnesses--that got my eye. Usually it makes no never minds about a
witness to a mining claim. They sign up John Smith, Robinson Crusoe or
Jesse James, and let it go at that. Mighty strict and law-abiding all
of a sudden, he was! And going to record his papers the day of
discovery--when he has ninety days for it? It's got all the earmarks
of a regular old he-strike! I move we take rounders on him and go
look-see."

"Cowboy--you done said something."

They slipped back furtively, making a detour, riding swiftly under
cover of shielding hills; they peeped over a hill crest beyond Adam's
claims