" The
Happy Family were sprawled in unwonted luxury on the shady side of an
outcropping of rock from under which a little spring seeped and made a small
oasis in the general barrenness. They had shade, they Had water and food, and
through the thin aromatic smoke of their cigarettes they could watch their
horses cropping avidly the green grass that meant so much to them. The
knowledge that an hour later they would be traveling again in the blazing heat
of midday but emphasized their present comfort. They were enjoying every
minute to its full sixty seconds. Laughter came easily and the hardships of
the trail were pushed into the background of their minds.
They were not particularly anxious over the success or failure of Luck's trip
to the hogans. They were on Ramon's trail (or so they firmly believed) and
sooner or later they would overhaul him and Bill Holmes. When that happened
they believed that they would be fully equal to the occasion, and that Ramon
and Bill and those who were with him would learn what it means to turn traitor
to the hand that has fed them, and to fling upon that hand the mud of public
suspicion. But just now they were not talking about these things; they were
arguing very earnestly over a very trivial matter indeed, and they got as much
satisfaction out of the contention as though it really amounted to something.
Pages:
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169