Me an’ The bucked at this for some time; but Horace hung out; so we went along with him. We finally came to a little glen with a spring in it, an’ grass, and in a little clump o’ small trees, we came across a book lyin’ face down on a Navajo blanket.
“That’s gettin’ close,” sez Horace.
“Yes!” sez we, in low tones.
We scouted all around; but no one was there, an’ then we took a line on the hill back of us, picked out a likely spot, and returned the way we had come, this bein’ the only direct way. We didn’t meet a soul—at least none wearin’ bodies, though from the creepy feelin’ I had part of the time, I won’t ever be certain we didn’t meet any souls.
Next day, we circled the peak and got up to the spot we had picked out. We could see the clump o’ trees plain enough; and along about three in the afternoon, we saw the woman come up the path, walkin’ slow an’ actin’ weary. She had two big dogs with her, and whenever she’d stop to rest a bit, she’d pet ’em. “Well,” sez The, “things has changed a heap when ol’ Ty Jones stands for havin’ his dogs patted.”
We couldn’t get a good view of her face from where we were, but we could get a fine view o’ the ranch buildin’s. The’ didn’t seem to be much work on hand, and we saw eight or ten men foolin’ around an’ pretendin’ to do chores. The recognized the two Greasers he had been ridin’ with the day he had pulled on Horace, and one or two others; but most of ’em was strangers to him. He said the Greasers were about the most devilish speciments he had ever herded with—an’ Ty’s whole outfit was made up o’ fellers who had qualified to wear hemp.
Horace was keen to go on down to her an’ get a good look; but me an’ The took the bits in our teeth at this. We knew what those dogs were like, an’ refused pointblank to go a peg unless he could think up a good enough excuse for us to give to Ty Jones—and we wouldn’t let Horace go down alone.
“The best plan I can see,” sez I, pointin’ to a cluster o’ big rocks down the slope to the left, “is to circle back to those rocks. We can see her face plain from there when she comes back the path.”
After examinin’ this plan we decided it was the best; but when we went after our hosses, Horace’s had broke his reins an’ gone back through the hills. By the time me an’ The had rounded him up, it was too late, so we had to wait till next day.
Next day I left the other two at our first look-out and rode on to the new one. As soon as she came in sight, I waved my hat to ’em and they sneaked down to the bunch o’ rocks. I rode back an’ left my hoss with theirs, an’ then joined ’em.