"No Man's, is ut; an' ut looks that same. Where did ye say ye was
thryin' to go?"

"We're headed for Rubio City. This here is the old San Felipe
trail."

"Uh-huh! So _we're_ goin' to Rubio City, are we? For all I know that
may as well be nowhere at all. Well, well, ut's news av intherest to
me. _We_ are goin' to Rubio City. Ut may be that ye would exshplain,
Sorr, how I come to be here at all."

"Sure Mike! You come in this here wagon from San Felipe."

At the drawling answer the hot blood flamed in the face of the
short-tempered Irishman and the veins in his thick neck stood out as
if they would burst. "Me name's not Mike at all, but Patrick
Mooney!" he roared. "I've two good eyes in me head that can see yer
danged old wagon for meself, an' fwhat's more I've two good hands
that can break ye in bits for the impedent dried herrin' that ye
are, a-thinkin' ye can take me anywhere at all be abductin' me
widout me consent. For a sup o' wather I'd go to ye--" He turned
quickly to look behind him for the driver was calmly pointing toward
the end of the seat. "Fwhat is ut? Fwhat's there?" he demanded.

"The water," drawled the dark-faced man. "I don't reckon you drunk
it all the other time."

Again the big man lifted the canteen and drank long and deep. When
he had wiped his mouth with the back of his hairy hand and had