“We got trouble of our own,” said Brevoort.  “Brent tried to run his iron on us—­but he got hold of the wrong iron.  Now the deal will have to go through like The Spider figured.  Mebby Brent knows that Arguilla’s men are at the Ortez—­and mebby he don’t.  But we don’t say.  We ride in and repo’t that Ortez says O.K.—­that his vaqueros are comin’ for the cattle and that he is comin’ with the cash.  Brent won’t bat an eye.  I know him.  He’ll jest tell you to take the dough and ride to Sanborn and take the train for El Paso.  Then he’ll vamose.”

“How’s that?”

“‘Cause he knows that this is the finish.  When he was handlin’ stock from south of the line,—­in small bunches, and pushin’ it through fast,—­we was all right.  The Mexican punchers was doin’ the stealin’, sellin’ the stuff to Brent.  And Brent was sellin’ to Arguilla’s agent—­which is Ortez.  All Ortez did was pay for it and turn it over to Arguilla.  Mexicans was stealin’ from Mexicans and sellin’ to Brent cheap, ‘cause he paid cash, and Brent was sellin’ it to Mexicans.  The fellas that stole the stuff knew better ’n to try to sell to Arguilla.  All they would ‘a’ got would ‘a’ been a promise.  So they sells to Brent, who bought mighty cheap, but paid real money.  That worked fine.  But when Brent starts stealin’ from white men on his side of the line—­why, he knows that it is the finish—­so he figures on a big haul—­or The Spider does—­kind of takes them ranchers up north by surprise and gets away with a couple of hundred head.  But he knows, as sure’s he’s a foot high, that they’ll trail him—­so he forgets that The Spider said you was to collect from Ortez and bank the dough—­and figures on collectin’ it himself.”

“Kind of a cold deal, eh, Ed?”

“All crooked deals is cold.”

“But I wonder why Brent didn’t send me down to the Ortez alone.  What did he ring you in for?”

“Brent figured that I’d get wise to his scheme.  You see, the understandin’ with The Spider is, that I’m fo’man of the Olla, case Brent gets bumped off.  Mebby The Spider thinks I’m square.  Mebby he jest plays me against Brent to keep us watchin’ each other.  I dunno.”

“You figure Arguilla will send old man Ortez over the line with the cash?”

“Yes.  He will now.  We done spoiled his game by gittin’ loose.  But I don’t say that Arguilla won’t try to raid the Olla and get that money back, after he’s got the cattle movin’ south.  You see the high-steppers that are backin’ Arguilla ain’t trustin’ him with a whole lot of cash, personal.  ’Course, what he loots is his.  But their money is goin’ for grub and ammunition.  They figure if he gets enough cash, he’ll quit.  And they don’t want him to quit.  He thinks he’s the big smoke—­but all he is is hired man to big money.”

“He’s been played, right along—­same as us, eh?”

“Same as us.”

“Well, Ed, I don’t mind takin’ a long chanct—­but I sure don’t aim to let any man make a monkey of me.”