Complete silence answered him. Then he realized that neither his father nor Obed Pence would dare to speak lest the sound of his voice reveal his whereabouts and call forth a shot from the other end of the cave. "You got to give it up for now!" he shouted in again. "I'll count one-two-three; and when I say three, both o' ye throw yer guns in front o' the mouth. I'll ask if ye'll do this. Both o' you answer at once. Ready!... Will you?" "Yes," came the smothered replies of both men in the cave. "All right now. Get ready! One ... two ... _three_!" At the word "three" two heavy-calibre Colts clattered on the dirt floor before the entrance and lay not a foot apart, proving that there was a recognized code of honour among the Poison Oakers. Bolar stooped and entered, gathering them in his hands. "All set," he announced. "Come out an' begin all over ag'in." Old Man Selden was the first to come out. Pence quickly followed him. Bolar had emptied both weapons of cartridges, and now he silently passed each his gun. "What'll it be, Pencie?" asked Old Man Selden, bending his fiery glance on his dark, slim enemy. "Shall we draw when we meet ag'in, er forget it entirely--or see who c'n load an' shoot quickest right here an' now?" "It's up to you, Old Man." "Forget it," advised Bolar. "For now, anyway." "Shall we go our ways now, an' draw when we come together ag'in?" It was Old Adam's question. "Why can't you come across an' do the square thing now?" Pence growled. "Then ever'thing's settled." "Just so! But y're answerin' my question with another'n. Do we draw when we meet ag'in?" "You won't be square?" "I'll tell ye nothin'. Ye called me a dam' liar, so you couldn't believe it if I had anything to say to ye." Pence shrugged indifferently and turned away. "When we meet ag'in," he said lightly. "Just so!" drawled Old Man Selden. "Just so!" CHAPTER XXII THE WATCHMAN OF THE DEAD Oliver Drew knew that the Mona Fiesta would be held by the Showut Poche-dakas when the July moon was full. The Mona Fiesta was the tribal "Feast of the Dead." It was purely an Indian rite, unmixed with any ceremonies incident to the feast days of the Catholic saints, as were most other celebrations. Consequently, while the whites were not definitely prohibited from being spectators, they were not invited to attend. They often went out of curiosity, Oliver had been told by Jessamy, but always they observed from a respectful distance and went unnoticed by the worshippers. The underlying principle of the Feast of the Dead was ancestor worship, in which all of the Pauba Tribes were particularly devout. Jessamy told Oliver that she had witnessed the ceremony once from a distance, but that, as it occurred at night, she had seen little of what was taking place.