ically their approach. A woman, all
personality hidden beneath flapping calico and slat sunbonnet, climbed
hastily down upon the farther side of the wagon and disappeared
into the little tent that was simply the wagon-box with its canvas
covering, placed upon the ground.

"Valencia told me truly. Senor Hunter, will you speak for me? Tell the
big hombre that the land is mine."

To do his bidding, Dade flicked the reins upon Surry's neck and rode
ahead, the others closely following. Thirty feet from the wagon
a great dog of the color called brindle disputed his advance with
bristling hair and throaty grumble.

"Lay down, Tige! Wait till you're asked to take a holt," advised
the man on the wagon, regarding the group with an air of perfect
neutrality. Tige obeying sullenly, to the extent that he crouched
where he was and still growled; his master rested his elbows on his
great, bony knees, sucked at a short-stemmed clay pipe and waited
developments.

"How d'yuh do?" Dade, holding Surry as close to the belligerent Tige
as was wise, tried to make his greeting as neutral as the attitude of
the other.

"Tol'ble, thank yuh, how's y'self? Shet your trap, Tige! Tige thought
you was all greasers, and he ain't made up his mind yet whether he
likes 'em mixed--whites and greasers. I dunno's I blame 'im, either.
We ain't either of us had much call to hanker after the dark meat.
T'other day a bunch come boilin' up outa the dim distance like they
was sent fur and didn't have much time to git here. Tied their tongues
into hard knots tryin' to tell me somethin' I didn't have time to
listen to, and looked like they wanted to see my hide hangin' on a
fence.

"Tige, he didn't take to 'em much. He kept walkin' back and forth
between me and them, talking as sensible as they did, I must say, and
makin' his meanin' full as clear. I dunno how we'd all 'a' come out,
if I hadn't brought Jemimy and the twins out and let 'em into the
argument. Them greasers didn't like the looks of old Jemimy, and they
backed off. Tige, he follered 'em right up, and soon's they got outa
reach of Jemimy, they took down their lariats an' tried to hitch onto
him.

"They didn't know Tige. That thar dawg's the quickest dawg on earth.
He hopped through their loops like they was playin' jump-the-rope
with him. Fact is, he'd learned jump-the-rope when he was a purp. He
wouldn't 'a' minded that, only they didn't do it friendly. One feller
whipped out his knife and t