“Then you want to quit this game,” said Brevoort.  “Why don’t you kind of change hosses and take a fresh start?  You ain’t been in the game so long but what you can pull out.”

“I was thinkin’ of that.  But what’s a fella goin’ to do?  Here we be, ridin’ straight for the Olla.  Right soon the sun’ll be shinin’ and the hosses millin’ round in the corral and gittin’ warmed up, and Brent’ll be tellin’ us he can use us helpin’ push them cattle through to the south end:  and I reckon we’ll change our saddles and git right to work, thinkin’ all the time of quittin’, but keepin’ along with the job jest the same.  A fella kind of hates to quit any job till it’s done.  And I figure this here deal ain’t even started to make trouble—­yet.  Wait till the T-Bar-T outfit gits a-goin’; and mebby the Concho, and the Blue Range boys.”

“Hand over your canteen a minute,” said Brevoort.  “I lost mine in the get-away.”

Dawn found them inside the south line fence.  In an hour they were at the ’dobe and clamoring for breakfast.  The cook told them that Brent was at the north line camp, and had left no word for them.

Brevoort glanced quickly at Pete.  Evidently Brent had not expected them to return so soon, if at all.

After breakfast they sauntered to the bunk-house, and pulled off their boots and lay down.

It was about noon when the cook called them.  “The bunch is back,” he said.  “Harper just rode in.  He says the old man is sore about somethin’.”

“The Spider?” queried Brevoort.

“Nope, Sam.”

“Goin’ to ride over?” asked Pete, after the cook had left.

“No.  But I’m goin’ to throw a saddle on one of the never-sweats and I’m goin’ to pick a good one.”

“I reckon Blue Smoke’ll do for me.  You goin’ to pull your freight, Ed?”

“We got our runnin’ orders.  The minute old man Ortez hands over that cash, there’ll be a hole in the scenery where we was.”

“That’s my idee.  But suppose we make it through to El Paso all right.  What do we do next?”

“That’s kind of like jumpin’ off the aidge of the Grand Canon and askin’ yourself what you’re goin’ to do while you’re in the air.  We ain’t lit yet.”

CHAPTER XXX

BRENT’S MISTAKE

Following the trail that Brevoort and Pete had taken from the Ortez rancho, Arguilla and his men rode north and with them rode Ortez and several of his vaqueros.  Within a few miles of the Olla the ragged soldiery swung west to the shelter of the low hills that ran parallel to the Olla line, while Ortez and his men rode directly to the Olla fence and entered a coulee near the big gate, where they waited the arrival of Brent and the herd.

About two hours before sundown one of Arguilla’s lieutenants appeared on the edge of the coulee where he could overlook the country.  At his signal the soldiers were to join the Ortez riders, but not until Brent and his men had the cattle delivered.