Why, an' army could
hide over there an' never be found unless it was hunted for blamed
good. Then, again, it's close to the railroad. Up north aways is th'
south branch of th' Santa Fe Trail an' it's far enough away not to
bother anybody in th' middle Panhandle. Then there's Fort Worth purty
near, an' other trails. Didn't Buck say he had all th' rest of th'
country searched? He meant th' Pecos Valley an th' Davis Mountains
country. All th' rustlers would have to do if they were in th'
Panhandle would be to cross th' Canadian an th' Cimarron an' hit th'
trail for th' railroad. Good fords, good grass an' water all th' way,
cattle fat when they are delivered an plenty of room. Th' more I
thinks about it th' more I cottons to the Panhandle."
"Well, it shore does sound good," replied Red, reflectively.
"Do yu mean th' Cunningham Lake region or farther north?"
"Just th' other side of this blasted desert: anywhere where there's
water," responded Hopalong, enthusiastically. "I've been doin' some
hot reckonin' for th' last two hours an' this is th' way it looks to
me: they drives th' cows up on this skillet for a ways, then turns
east an' hits th' trail for home an' water. They can get around th'
ca on near Thatcher's Lake by a swing of th' north. I tell yu that's
th' only way out'n this. Who could tell where they turned with th'
wind raisin' th' deuce with the trail? Didn't we follow a trail for a
ways, an' then what? Why, there wasn't none to follow.
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