Enoch looked at her, drew a deep breath, then put his gun across his arm and followed Diana to the yucca thicket where quail was to be found. They were very silent during the hour of hunting. They bagged a pair of cottontails and a number of quail, and when they did speak, it was only regarding the hunt or the preparations for the coming exodus. They reached camp, just before dinner, Diana disappearing into the tent, and Enoch tramping prosaically and wearily into the cabin to throw himself down on his bunk. He had not yet recovered from the last days in the Canyon. "You shouldn't have tackled that tramp this morning, Judge," said Milton. "You should have saved yourself for this afternoon." "You saw who his side pardner was, didn't you?" asked Curly. "Yes," replied Milton, grinning. "Then why make foolish comments?" "I am a fool!" agreed Milton. "Judge," asked Curly, "how about you and me having our conflab right after dinner?" "That will suit me," replied Enoch, "if you can drag yourself from Agnew and poker that long." "I'll make a superhuman effort," returned Curly. The conference, which took place under the cedar near the Ida, did not last long. "Curly," said Enoch, lighting his pipe, "I haven't made up my mind yet, whether I want you to give me the information about Fowler and Brown or not." "What's the difficulty?" demanded Curly. "Well, there's a number of personal reasons that I don't like to go into. But I've a suggestion to make. You say you're trying to get money together with which to retain a lawyer and carry out a campaign, so you aren't in a hurry, anyway. Now you write down in a letter all that you know about the two men, and send the letter to me, I'll treat it as absolutely confidential, and will return the material to you without reading it if I decide not to use it." Curly puffed thoughtfully at his cigarette. "That's fair enough, Judge. As you say there's no great hurry and I always get het up, anyhow, when I talk about it. I'd better put it down in cool black and white. Where can I reach you?" "No. 814 Blank Avenue, Washington, D. C.," replied Enoch. Curly pulled an old note book out of his hip pocket and set down the address: "All right, Judge, you'll hear from me sometime in the next few weeks. I'll go back now and polish Agnew off." And he hurried away, leaving Enoch to smoke his pipe thoughtfully as he stared at the Ida. CHAPTER XIV LOVE IN THE DESERT "While I was teaching my boy obedience, I would teach him his next great obligation, service. So only could his manhood be a full one."--_Enoch's Diary_. Shortly after two o'clock, Diana announced that she was ready to start. But the good-bys consumed considerable time and it was nearly three before they were really on their way. Enoch's eyes were a little dim as he shook hands with Milton.