negligible space as they touched on each man in the room. All of this
the cattlemen noted instantly. What they did not see on account of his
veiling fingers was that he poured only a few drops of the liquor into
his glass.

In the meantime another man who had never before "irrigated" at
Morgan's place, rode up. His mount, like that of the tawny-haired
rider, was considerably larger and more finely built than the common
range horse. In three days of hard work a cattle pony might wear down
these blooded animals, but would find it impossible to either overtake
or escape them in a straight run. The second stranger, short-legged,
barrel-chested, and with a scrub of black beard, entered the barroom
while the crowd was still drinking the health of Morgan. He took a
corner chair, pushed back his hat until a mop of hair fell down his
forehead, and began to roll a cigarette. The man of the tawny hair
took the next seat.

"Seems to be quite a party, stranger," said the tall fellow
nonchalantly.

"Sure," growled he of the black beard, and after a moment he added:
"Been out on the trail long, pardner?"

"Hardly started."

"So'm I."

"As a matter of fact, I've got a lot of hard riding before me."

"So've I."