"I'll depend on you to see that he doesn't pull any funny work," Hawkins said to Billee. "When the show starts we'll have our hands full, and we don't want any slip-ups."
Yet they could not afford to give up now. If things worked out as the agent had hoped, they might succeed in arresting Delton and his gang.
"And that reward will come in right handy," Billee Dobb said.
"Will we really get a reward if we capture these smugglers?" Nort asked Hawkins.
"You certainly will! And the government will be glad to pay it, too."
"I don't care so much about the reward as I do about getting Delton," declared Bud, as he remembered how he was mistreated at the hands of the smuggler.
"An' I'd like to get my bronc back," Yellin' Kid asserted, as he moved his arms briskly about to warm himself.
The night wore on, minutes seeming like hours. Billee Dobb stood motionless, leaning against the side of the ranch house, and at his feet sat the Mexican, seemingly oblivious of the cold. Hawkins moved slowly about, glancing every now and then down the road. The others stood about, talking in low tones. The storm seemed to have been blown aside, as the rumble of thunder no longer reached the ears of the waiting men. Still the moon was covered with clouds, making the night almost pitch-black. A soft glow from the low-turned lamp within the ranch house was the only illumination.
"Say, I'm goin' to take a walk around to the corral," exclaimed the Kid suddenly. "This waitin' is gettin' me woozy. Just want to see if the ponies are all right."
"Watch your step," Bud cautioned. "It's pretty dark. And don't make too much noise."