Poor dad had enough to worry about without filling his mind
with suspicious and mysterious men with fake colds, and things like that.

Mary V unsaddled a very sweaty Jake before the sky was reddening with the
dawn; before even the earliest of little brown birds were a-chirp or a
rooster had lifted his head to crow.

She wakened Tango with the bridle, slapped her saddle on him and
tightened it with petulant jerks, got her rifle and her camera out from
under the sacks, mounted and rode away again before even the cook had
crawled out of his blankets.

CHAPTER TEN

SIGNS, AND NO ONE TO READ THEM

Bill Hayden's mouth was pinched into a straight line across his
desert-scarred face. He shortened his hold on the rope that held Jake and
passed the flat of his hand down Jake's neck under the heavy mane. He
held up a moistened palm and looked at it needlessly. He stepped back and
surveyed the drawn-in flanks, and with his eye he measured the length and
depth of the saddle marks, as though he half hoped thereby to identify
the saddle that had made them. His eyes were hard with the cold fury that
lumped the muscles on his jaw.

He turned his head and surveyed the scattered group of boys busy with
ropes, bridles and saddles--making ready for the day's work, which
happened to be the gathering of more horses to break, for the war across
the water used up horses at an amazing rate, and Sudden was not the man
to let good prices go to waste. The horse herd would be culled of its
likeliest saddle horses while the market was best.

To-day, and for several days, the boys would ride north and west, combing
the rough country that held two broad-bottomed streams and therefore fair
grazing for horses. Bill had meant to ride Jake, but he was changing his
mind. Jake, from the look of him, had lately received exercise enough to
last him for one day, at least. Suspicion dwelt in Bill's eyes as they
rested on each man in turn. They halted at Tex, who was standing with his
head up, staring at Jake with more interest than Bill believed an
innocent man had any right to feel. Tex caught his glance and came over,
trailing his loop behind him.

"What yo' all been doing to Jake, gantin' him up like that, Bill?" Tex
inquired, his black eyes taking in the various marks of hard riding that
had infuriated Bill.

Bill hesitated, spat into the dust, and turned half away, stroking Jake's
roughened shoulder.

"Me, I been workin' him out, mebby.