em about it, th' more th' danged fools laughed! I'd like ter hold 'em
over one o' them thar water-squirts, or push 'em down into th' bilin'
mud pots! Swallered th' lies, dang 'em, an' spit out th' truth!"

Tom roared and after a moment looked curiously at his partner. "I
thought ye said you'd never tell nobody about that country ag'in?"

"Oh, I felt so danged sorry fer thar ignorance that I reckoned I'd
eddicate 'em, th' dumb fools! If I had a ox an' it didn't know more'n
them all put together, danged if I wouldn't shoot it!" He sliced off a
pipeful of tobacco and pulled an ember from the fire. "What you an'
Pedro been hatchin' out?"

"Nothin', yit," answered Tom; "but I would like ter hear a little more
'bout that thar roundabout trail inter Santa Fe." He looked at Pedro.
"How fur away from hyar does it begin?"

"Not so ver' far, senor," answered the Mexican. "Thees way from thee
Upper Spr-ring, where thee soldats are used to meet thee car-ravan. We
come to eet soon. We should leeve thees camp tomor-row night."

"What's th' use o' that when ye said th' soldiers ain't goin' ter meet
us this year?" demanded Tom.

"Why don't they meet th' trains whar they oughter, 'stead o' waitin'
till they git past th' Injun dangers?" demanded Hank with some feeling.

"Does not thee senor know?" chuckled Pedro. "Eet ees not for protec'
thee car-ravan that they meet eet. Eet ees that no man may leave thee
tr-rail an' smuggle hees goods past thee customs. For what does Manuel
Armijo care for protec' thee traders? Eef he deed, would he not meet
them at thee Arkansas? Eet ees only for thee customs that he sends thee
soldats. To get away fr-rom theese we mus' tak thee other tr-rail befo'
eet ees too late."

"That's all right fer other years," growled Tom; "but if they ain't
goin' ter meet us _this_ time we kin stick ter th' trail an' leave it a
lot closer ter Santer Fe."

Pedro was doing his best to play safe from all angles. If the troops
tried to take Tom Boyd from the caravan, or show that he was a prisoner,
a great deal of trouble might come out of it, for these Americans were
devils for sticking together. If that fear were groundless, then Tom
Boyd and his trapper friends, on sight of the troops, might cut and run;
and if forced to stand and fight they could be counted on to give a good
account of themselves against the poorer arms of their Mexican enemies;
and somewhere in the hills he thought there were Texans and he knew the