an ordered Purdy to dismount. He staggered weakly, and the man
supported him while the other took the horse and disappeared. After a
few steps Purdy braced up, and relieving him of his gun the man bade
him follow. They seemed to be in a cave. Purdy glanced upward and could
see no stars. The darkness was intense, and he placed his hand on the
man's shoulder. They turned a sharp corner and another and found
themselves in a blaze of light. Three men lounged about an open fire,
and the light from two coal-oil lamps lighted the interior of what
seemed to be a large room. Cooking utensils were ranged neatly along the
wall near the fire, and beyond, Purdy could see rolls of bedding. The
man who conducted him in tendered him a tin cup of water and Purdy
gulped it greedily to the last drop and extended the cup for more.
"Better wait a bit an' let that soak in," advised the man, "they's
plenty an' you kin have all you want." The other three men looked on in
silence, and when Purdy had drained two more cupfuls of water, one of
them motioned him to be seated. Another handed him tobacco and papers,
and as he rolled a cigarette, Purdy glanced about with a distinct air of
relief. This was no posse. There was an air of permanency about the
camp, and as he glanced into the faces of the men he recognized none of
them.

When he had returned the tobacco and lighted his cigarette, one of the
men addressed him directly. Purdy noticed that he was a squat man, and
that the legs of his leather chaps bowed prodigiously. He was thick and
wide of chest, a tuft of hair protruded grotesquely from a hole in the
crown of his soft-brimmed hat, and a stubby beard masked his features
except for a pair of beady, deep-set eyes that stared at Purdy across
the glowing brands of the dying fire. He tossed his cigarette into the
coals and spoke abruptly:

"What you doin' down here? Where you headin'?"

Purdy glanced into the eyes that seemed to flash menacingly as a brand
flared feebly. Then he lied: "Headin' fer south of the Mizoo. Got a job
down there."

"Who with?"

"Don't know the name. It's out of Lewiston. Feller come through couple
of days ago an' said they was short-handed."

"Cow outfit?"

"Yup."

"That why yer ridin' a Circle J horse? An' why you snuck into the brush
back yonder an' laid low while Pete, here, rode past a-singin' 'Big Foot
Sal'?" The man's eyes were still upon him, and Purdy knew that he had
been caught in his lie. He glance