"Benito, you know this country like a book," Shaw continued. "Where's a good place for us to work from, or ain't there no choice?" "Thunder Mesa." "Well, what of it?" "On de edge of de desert, high, beeg. De walls are stone, an' so ver' smooth. Nobody can get up." "How can we get up then?" "There's a trail at one end," replied Antonio, crossing his legs and preparing to roll a cigarette. "It's too steep for cayuses, an' too narrow; but we can crawl up. An' once up, all h--l can't follow as long as our cartridges hold out." "Water?" inquired Frisco. "At th' bottom of th' trail, an' th' spring is on top," Antonio replied. "Not much, but enough." "Can you work yore end all right?" asked Shaw. "_Si_," laughed the other. "I am 'that fool, Antonio,' on th' ranch. But they're th' fools. We can steal them blind an' if they find it out--well," here he shrugged his shoulders, "th' Bar-20 can take th' blame. I'll fix that, all right. This trouble about th' line is just what I've been waitin' for, an' I'll help it along. If we can get 'em fightin' we'll run off with th' bone _we_ want. That'll be easy." "But can you get 'em fightin'?" asked Cavalry, so called because he had spent several years in that branch of the Government service, and deserted because of the discipline. Antonio laughed and ordered more _mescal_ and for some time took no part in the discussion which went on about him. He was dreaming of success and plenty and a ranch of his own which he would start in Old Mexico, in a place far removed from the border, and where no questions would be asked. He would be a rich man, according to the standards of that locality, and what he said would be law among the peons. He liked to daydream, for everything came out just as he wished; there was no discordant note. He was so certain of success, so conceited as not to ask himself if any of the Bar-20 or H2 outfits were not his equal or superior in intelligence. It was only a matter of time, he told himself, for he could easily get the two ranches embroiled in a range war, and once embroiled, his plan would succeed and he would be safe. "What do you want for your share, 'Tony?" suddenly asked Shaw. "Half." "What! _Half?_" "_Si._" "You're loco!" cried the other. "Do you reckon we're going to buck up agin th' biggest an' hardest fightin' outfit in this country an' take all sorts of chances for a measly half, to be divided up among seven of us!" He brought his fist down on the table with a resounding thump. "You an' yore game can go to h--l first!" he shouted. "I like a hog, all right," sneered Clausen, angrily. "I thought it out an' I got to look after th' worst an' most important part of it, an' take three chances to you fellers' one," replied Antonio, frowning. "I said half, an' it goes." "Run all th' ends, an' keep it all," exclaimed Hall. "An', by God, we've got a hand in it, now. If you try to hog it we'll drop a word where it'll do th' most good, an' don't you forget it, neither."