he bow and
quiver of arrows, skins of the mountain lion and lynx, and hanging from
the beam-end a silver-mounted saddle and bridle and above it a Mexican
sombrero heavy with golden filigree.

"You've rambled some," commented Pete.

"Some. What's the matter with your head?"

"Your friend Flores handed me one--from behind," said Pete.

The Spider gestured toward a blanket-covered couch against the wall.
"Lay down there. No, on your face. Huh! Wait till I get some water."

Pete closed his eyes. Presently he felt the light touch of fingers and
then a soothing coolness. He heard The Spider moving about the room.
The door closed softly. Pete raised his head. The room was dark. He
thought of Malvey and he wondered at The Spider's apparent solicitude.
He was in The Spider's hands--for good or ill . . . Sleep blotted out
all sense of being.

Late that afternoon he awoke to realize that there was some one in the
room. He raised on his elbow and turned to see The Spider gazing down
at him with a peculiar expression--as though he were questioning
himself and awaiting an answer from some outside source.

Pete stretched and yawned and grinned lazily. "Hello, pardner! I was
dreamin' of a friend of mine when I come to and saw"--Pete hesitated,
sat up and yawned again--"another friend that I wa'n't dreamin' about,"
he concluded.

"What makes you think I'm your friend?" queried The Spider.

"Oh, hell, I dunno," said Pete, rubbing the back of his head and
grinning boyishly. "But there's no law ag'in' my feelin' that way, is
there? Doggone it, I'm plumb empty! Feel like my insides had been
takin' a day off and had come back just pawin' the air to git to work."

"Malvey's in town."

Pete's mouth hardened, then relaxed to a grin.

"Well, if he's as hungry as I am he ain't worryin' about me."

"He's got your horse."

"That don't worry me none."

"I told Malvey to get your horse from you and set you afoot at Flores'."

"And he sure made a good job of it, didn't he? But I don't sabe your
game in hog-tyin' me down to Flores's place."

"I figured you'd be safer afoot till you kind of cooled down."

Pete tried to read The Spider's face, but it was as impersonal as the
desert itself. "Mebby you figured to hold me there till you was good
and ready to use me," said Pete.

The Spider nodded.

"Well, there's nothin' doin'. I ain't no killer or no hoss-thief
lookin' for a job. I got in bad up north--but I ain