"I reckon that's true. Of course we've got to remember that so far as he knows I'm out of the way for good." Bud took up coffee-pot and stew-pan and set them down beside Stratton, where the rest of the meal was spread. "Sure," he chuckled, dropping down against the ledge. "Officially, you're a corpse. That's yore strong point, old-timer. By golly!" he added, with a sudden, fierce revulsion of spirit. "I only hope I'll be on hand when he gets what's comin' to him, the damn', cowardly skunk!" "Maybe you will," commented Buck grimly. "Well, let's eat. Seems like I do nothing but eat and sleep and loaf around. I've a good notion to bust up the monotony," he added, after a few minutes had passed in the silent consumption of food, "and take that trip to north pasture to-morrow." "Don't be loco," Bud told him hastily. "Yuh ain't fit for nothin' like that yet." "I did it a few days ago," Stratton reminded him, "and I'm feeling a hundred per cent. better now." "Mebbe so; but what's the use in takin' chances? We got plenty of time." "I'm not so sure of that," Buck said seriously. "You say that Lynch thinks I'm dead and out of the way. Well, maybe he does; but unless he's a lot bigger fool than I think for, he's not going to leave a body around in plain sight for anybody to find. He'll be slipping down into that gulch one of these days to get rid of it, and when he finds there ain't any body--then what?" "He'll begin to see he's got into one hell of a mess, I reckon," commented Jessup. "Right. And he'll be willing to do anything on earth to crawl out safe. Like enough he'll connect your disappearance with the business, and that would worry him more than ever. He might even get scared enough to throw up the whole game and beat it; and believe me, that wouldn't suit me at all." "Yuh said a mouthful!" snarled Jessup. "If that hellion should get away--Say, Buck, why couldn't yuh get him for attempted murder?" "I might, but the witnesses are all on his side, and there'd be a good chance of his slipping out. Besides, I'm set on finding out first what his game is. I'm dead certain now it's connected somehow with the north pasture, and I've an idea it's something big. That car I told you about, and everything--Well, there's no sense guessing any longer when we can make a stab at finding out. We'll start the first thing to-morrow." Bud made no further protest, and at dawn next morning they left camp and set out northward through the hills. It was a slow journey, and toward the end of it Buck felt rather seedy. But this was only natural, he told himself, after lying around and doing nothing; and he even wished he had made the move sooner.