Big Medicine after a heavy
silence, "like as if you'd gone to sleep on your hawse, Little One, and
dreamed that there tinkle-tinkle stuff. By cripes, I'd like to see the
bell-hawse that could walk away from ME 'nless I was asleep an' dreamin'
about it. Sounds like--"

"Sounds like Navvy work," Applehead put in, eyeing the surrounding rim
of sun-gilded mesa, where little brown birds fluttered in short, swift
flights and chirped with exasperating cheerfulness.

"If it was anybody, it was Ramon Chavez," Luck declared with the
positiveness of his firm conviction. "By the tracks here, we're crowding
up on him. And no man that's guilty of a crime, Applehead, is going to
ride day after day without wanting to take a look over his shoulder
to see if be's followed. He's probably seen us from some of these
ridges--yesterday, most likely. And do you think he wouldn't know this
bunch as far as he could see us, even without glasses? The chances are
he has them, though. He'd be a fool if he didn't stake himself to a
pair."

"Say, by gracious," Andy observed somewhat irrelevantly, his eyes going
over the group, "this would sure make great picture dope, wouldn't it?
Why didn't we bring Pete along, darn it? Us all standing around here,
plumb helpless because we're afoot--"

"Aw, shut up!" snapped Pink, upon whom the burden of responsibility
lay heavy. "I oughta be hung for laying around the fire here instead of
being out there on guard! I oughta--"

"It ain't your fault," Weary championed him warmly. "We all heard the
bell--"

"Yes--and damn it,_I_ heard the bell from then on till daylight!" Pink's
lips quivered perceptibly with the mortification that burned within him.
"If I'd been on guard--"

"Well, I calc'late you'd a been laid out now with a knife-cut in yuh
som'ers," Applehead stopped twisting his sunburnt mustache to say
bluntly. "'S a dang lucky thing fer you, young man, 't you WASN'T on
guard, 'n' the only thing't looks queer to me is that you wasn't potted
las' night when yuh got out away from here. Musta been only one of 'em
stayed behind, an' he had t' keep out in front uh yuh t' tinkle that
dang bell. Figgered on wearin' out yer hoss, I reckon, 'n' didn't
skurcely dare t' take the risk uh killin' you off 'nless they was a
bunch around t' handle us." His bright blue eyes with their range squint
went from one to another with a certain speculative pride in the glance.
"'N' they shore want t' bring a crowd along when th