watch."
The country before them offered little cover, but there were low places and occasional clumps of trees. Mac glanced back but could see nothing but a few scattered cattle and horses.
They rode on, watching the country with care. It was not until they reached some willows along a creek that they pulled up. "Might's well have some grub ourselves," Happy Jack suggested. "It'll take them most of an hour to get goin'."
They gathered a few twigs and boiled coffee while chewing on beef jerky. "That's a bad outfit," Mac commented, "and we'd best not take them lightly. They'll be hunting us."
"They ain't got too much time," Jack said. "They've got that ship to meet. Least that's what seems likely."
Their fire left no smoke in the sky, and their cover, while light, was sufficient. They squatted on their heels drinking coffee and watching the country around. Dal's muscles were stiff, and he moved with care because of his wound. Although he was almost well now, he had to be aware of his weakness.
The light fog that had drifted over the salt meadows and marshes before dawn had largely disappeared. The sun was bright, but the three men at the fire were tired. "Dal? You'd better catch yourself some shut-eye while there's a chance."
"Maybe you're right." Dal eased himself back on the grass and was almost instantly asleep.
"He caught a bad one," Mac said. "Lost a lot of blood."
"This here's a bad time to be in a fight," Jack grumbled. "Times are bad, there's no market for beef, and with the armies comin' home there'll be three men for every job. If I had two-bits to buy seed I'd go to farmin'."
"Two-bits wouldn't get you very far."
"It would buy a packet o' seeds. It's a start. Mac, I'm worried about those girls. That's a mean outfit. Right now Ashford seems to be in control, but suppose he gets shot or whatever? Those girls wouldn't have a chance."
He removed his hat and wiped the sweat-band. "Mac, you better catch yourself twenty minutes or so. I'll stand watch."
"Well -" Mac stretched out, hat over his eyes, and Happy Jack refilled his cup and scanned the country around. From where they sat their fire was screened by the low place where they had camped and some tall reeds growing in the water, as well as by willows along the creek. Open country was all around them.
Three men against thirty? And two of them had too much conscience.
"Well," Jack muttered, "that never bothered me much, not when there's fightin' to do." A good prairie fire, now, would set them by the ears, but impossible because of the girls. Whatever he thought of must take them into consideration.
"That Kate now," he muttered, "she'd always had a good head on her shoulders. If I could just get inside her head! She's thinkin' right now. She's figurin', but on what? What can she do?"
Not quite five miles away Kate Connery was watching the teamster bringing back the four-horse team from the brush, and she was thinking the same thing. There was little time. The Gulf Coast was right over there. She could smell the sea, and it needed no special awareness to understand that once aboard a ship they would have small chance to escape. What was to be done, if anything, must be done now.
"Dulcie," she said, "pass the word along, and whisper when you do it. Tell them to be ready for anything. I don't know what we will do, but it will have to happen soon."
"The boys are out there," Gretchen said hopefully.
"There are only three of them. At least that's all we saw. What can they do?"
Sitting in the wagon they listened to the angry talk outside. "Was I Ashford," somebody was saying, "I'd waste no time with the women. Nor tryin' to trade for guns. I'd start movin' toward Laredo, and I'd hit ever' ranch in between. I'd steal every head of stock they've got, take their guns and whatever money they have, and drive right on into Mexico.
"Ol' Maximilian would make us a deal for those cows, believe me. An' meanwhile we'd have the women for ourselves."
"Leave it to him.
The country before them offered little cover, but there were low places and occasional clumps of trees. Mac glanced back but could see nothing but a few scattered cattle and horses.
They rode on, watching the country with care. It was not until they reached some willows along a creek that they pulled up. "Might's well have some grub ourselves," Happy Jack suggested. "It'll take them most of an hour to get goin'."
They gathered a few twigs and boiled coffee while chewing on beef jerky. "That's a bad outfit," Mac commented, "and we'd best not take them lightly. They'll be hunting us."
"They ain't got too much time," Jack said. "They've got that ship to meet. Least that's what seems likely."
Their fire left no smoke in the sky, and their cover, while light, was sufficient. They squatted on their heels drinking coffee and watching the country around. Dal's muscles were stiff, and he moved with care because of his wound. Although he was almost well now, he had to be aware of his weakness.
The light fog that had drifted over the salt meadows and marshes before dawn had largely disappeared. The sun was bright, but the three men at the fire were tired. "Dal? You'd better catch yourself some shut-eye while there's a chance."
"Maybe you're right." Dal eased himself back on the grass and was almost instantly asleep.
"He caught a bad one," Mac said. "Lost a lot of blood."
"This here's a bad time to be in a fight," Jack grumbled. "Times are bad, there's no market for beef, and with the armies comin' home there'll be three men for every job. If I had two-bits to buy seed I'd go to farmin'."
"Two-bits wouldn't get you very far."
"It would buy a packet o' seeds. It's a start. Mac, I'm worried about those girls. That's a mean outfit. Right now Ashford seems to be in control, but suppose he gets shot or whatever? Those girls wouldn't have a chance."
He removed his hat and wiped the sweat-band. "Mac, you better catch yourself twenty minutes or so. I'll stand watch."
"Well -" Mac stretched out, hat over his eyes, and Happy Jack refilled his cup and scanned the country around. From where they sat their fire was screened by the low place where they had camped and some tall reeds growing in the water, as well as by willows along the creek. Open country was all around them.
Three men against thirty? And two of them had too much conscience.
"Well," Jack muttered, "that never bothered me much, not when there's fightin' to do." A good prairie fire, now, would set them by the ears, but impossible because of the girls. Whatever he thought of must take them into consideration.
"That Kate now," he muttered, "she'd always had a good head on her shoulders. If I could just get inside her head! She's thinkin' right now. She's figurin', but on what? What can she do?"
Not quite five miles away Kate Connery was watching the teamster bringing back the four-horse team from the brush, and she was thinking the same thing. There was little time. The Gulf Coast was right over there. She could smell the sea, and it needed no special awareness to understand that once aboard a ship they would have small chance to escape. What was to be done, if anything, must be done now.
"Dulcie," she said, "pass the word along, and whisper when you do it. Tell them to be ready for anything. I don't know what we will do, but it will have to happen soon."
"The boys are out there," Gretchen said hopefully.
"There are only three of them. At least that's all we saw. What can they do?"
Sitting in the wagon they listened to the angry talk outside. "Was I Ashford," somebody was saying, "I'd waste no time with the women. Nor tryin' to trade for guns. I'd start movin' toward Laredo, and I'd hit ever' ranch in between. I'd steal every head of stock they've got, take their guns and whatever money they have, and drive right on into Mexico.
"Ol' Maximilian would make us a deal for those cows, believe me. An' meanwhile we'd have the women for ourselves."
"Leave it to him.
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