eaks, straight across."

Only when they were fairly down on the floor of the valley did they see
the ranch houses. There were several, a big, rambling adobe with
white-washed walls, barns and smaller outbuildings, all making a
sizeable group. They stood in an oak grove at the opposite side of the
valley, close to the common bases of Barlow's peaks. The two men
stopped and looked, reflecting.

"Neighbors," said Kendric. "They'll be wanting to know what we're
about, pottering around on the rim of their holding."

"It's anybody's land over there," growled Barlow. "They'd best keep
out of it."

They pushed on across the fields, noting casually how they were all
leveled and ditched for irrigation, and came at last to the creek where
they rested under an oak and drank deeply and smoked. As they rose to
go on they saw four horsemen bearing down upon them from the direction
of the ranch houses.

"_Vacqueros_," said Barlow. "They'll be wantin' to know if we're lost."

"They look more like brigands than cow men," grunted Kendric. "Every
man jack of them wears a rifle. And they're in a rush, Twisty, old
mate. What will you bet they don't herd us back where we came from?"

"Let 'em try it on," Barlow shot back at him, his eyes narrowing on the
oncoming riders. "I'm goin' to roll up in my blanket under those three
peaks tonight if the whole Mexican army shows up."

The two Americans stopped and stood ready to ease their shoulders out
of their packs and start pumping lead if the newcomers turned out to be
half the desperadoes they appeared. "The way to argue with these sort
of gents," said Barlow contemptuously, "is shoot their eyes out first
and talk next." But as the foremost of the little cavalcade drew up in
front of them, with his three followers curbing their horses a few
paces in his rear, the fellow's greeting was amazingly hospitable.

"_Buenas dias, amigos_," he called to them. But, though he hailed them
in the name of friendship, his eyes were sullen and gave the lie to his
speech. "You would be fatigued with walking across the cursed desert;
you would be parched with thirst. Yonder," and he pointed toward the
distant white walls, "is coolness and pleasant welcome awaiting you."

His followers were out-and-out ragamuffins, wild-looking fellows with
their unshaven cheeks and tangled hair and fierce eyes. Their
spokesman stood apart in appearance as well as in position, being
somewhat extravagantl