“She ain’t what you could call hot,” Big Medicine conceded drily, since no one else showed any disposition to reply.

“We don’t get much snow like this.  You live in Albuquerque, perhaps?”

There was really no excuse for snubbing these two, who had been well within their rights in making an investigation of this unheralded and unauthorized gathering of all the cattle on this range.  Andy told Ramone where they were staying and where they came from, and let it go at that.  The less Americanized brother dismounted and joined the group with a nod of greeting.

“My brother Tomas,” announced Ramone, with a flash of white teeth, his eyes shifting unobtrusively toward Annie-Many-Ponies, who wore a secret, half-smiling air of provocative interest in him.  “Not spik much English, my brother.  Always stay too much at home.  Me, I travel all over—­Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco.  I ride in all contests—­Pueblo, San Antonio—­all over.  Tomas, he go not so often.  His head, all for business—­making money—­get rich some day.  Me, I spend.  My hand wide open always.  Money slip fast.”

“There’s plenty of us marked that way,” Weary made good-natured comment, turning so that his back might feel the heat of the fire.

“Shunka Chistala!” murmured Annie-Many-Ponies in her soft contralto to the little black dog, and moved away to the mountain wagon, with the dog following close to her moccasined heels.

Ramone looked after her with frank surprise at the strange words.  “Not Spanish, then?” he ventured.

“Indian,” the Native Son explained briefly, and added, perhaps for reasons of his own, “Sioux squaw.”

Ramone very wisely let his curiosity rest there.  He had a good excuse, for Luck, having finished work for the time being, came tramping over to the fire.  At him Ramone glanced apologetically.

“We borrow comfort from your fire, senor,” he said indifferently.  “She’s bad day for riding.”

Luck nodded, already ashamed of having lost his temper, yet not at the point of yielding openly to any overtures for peace.  “Soon as we eat,” he said to Weary and those others who stood nearest, “I’ll have you cut out that poor cow and calf and drive ’em down the flat here, so I can get that other scene I was telling you about.”

“Wagalexa Conka, here is plenty hot coffee,” came a soft voice at his elbow, and Luck turned with a smile to take the steaming cup from the hand of Annie-Many-Ponies.

The Native Son poured a cup and offered it to Tomas Chavez. “Quire cafe?” he asked.

“Si, senor; Gracias.”  Tomas smiled, and took the cup and bowed.  Annie-Many-Ponies herself, with a sidelong glance at Luck to see if she might dare, carried the biggest cup of coffee to Ramone, and smiled demurely when he took it and looked into her eyes and thanked her.