"
"If you finds where they hangs out come away instanter," here his
face hardened and his eyes narrowed, "for it'll take more than yu
three to deal with them th' way I'm a-hankerin' for. Come right back
to th' Double Arrow, send me word by one of their punchers an' get all
the rest you can afore I gets there. It'll take me a day to get th'
men together an' to reach yu. I'm goin' to use smoke signals to call
th' other ranches, so there won't be no time lost. Carry all th' water
yu can pack when yu leaves th' Double Arrow an' don't depend none on
cactus juice. Yu better take a pack horse to carry it, an' yore grub-
yu can shoot it if yu have to hit th' trail real hard."
The three riders felt of their accouterments, said "So long," and
cantered off for the pack horse and extra ammunition. Then they rode
toward the Double Arrow, stopping at Cowan's long enough to spend some
money, and reached the Double Arrow at nightfall. Early the next
morning they passed the last line-house and, with the profane well-
wishes of its occupants ringing in their ears, passed onto one of
Nature's worst blunders- the Staked Plain.
CHAPTER XVIII
The Search Begins
As the sun arose it revealed three punchers riding away from
civilization. On all sides, stretching to the evil-appearing horizon,
lay vast blotches of dirty-white and faded yellow alkali and sand.
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