They picked up the things and went off to find the horses and as they dropped the equipment Red felt for his saddle. "Hey! Where's _mine_?" he demanded. "Here, at my feet," said Johnny. Red passed his hand over it and swore heartily. "This ain't it, you blunderin' jackass! Why didn't you get _mine_?" he growled. "Feel of this one," grunted Johnny, kicking the other saddle. Red did so. "That's it. Who's th' other belong to?" "_I_ don't know," answered Johnny, growing peeved. "Yo're cussed particular, you are! Here's two rifles, two six-guns, an' two belts. Take 'em with you an' pick out yore own when it gets light. _I_ don't want 'em." Red finished cinching up and slipped a hand over the rifles. He dropped one of them into its scabbard. "Got mine. Chuck th' other away." "Take it along an' chuck it in th' crick," said Idaho. "Now you fellers listen: If you ride up th' middle of Big Crick till you come to that rocky ground west of our place you can leave th' water there, an' yore trail will be lost. It runs southwest an' northeast for miles, an' is plenty wide an' wild. If you need any thin' ride in to our place any night after dark. I'll post th' boys." "We ain't got a bit of grub," growled Red. "Well, it ain't th' first time," he added, cheerfully. "We're not goin' up Big Crick," said Hopalong, decisively. "We're ridin' like we wanted to get plumb out of this country, which is just what Bill Long an' Red Thompson would do. When fur enough away we're circlin' back east of town, on th' edge of th' desert, where nobody will hardly think we'd go. They'll suspect that hard ground over yore way before they will th' desert. Where'll we meet you, Kid, if there's any thin' to be told; an' when?" Johnny considered and appealed to Idaho, whose knowledge of the country qualified him to speak. In a few moments the place had been chosen and well described, and the two horsemen pulled their mounts around and faced northward. "Get a-goin'," growled Johnny. "Anybody'd reckon you thought a night was a week long." "Don't like to leave you two boys alone in this town, after tonight's plays," said Hopalong, uneasily. "Nobody is dumb enough to figger that we didn't have outside help. Keep yore eyes open!" "Pull out!" snapped Johnny. "It'll be light in two hours more!" "So-long, you piruts," softly called Idaho. "Yessir," he muttered, joyously; "it's been one plumb lovely night!"