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In Jessie’s absence, another cowboy na chores In a cow camp, everyone pitched in to do whatever tasks needed to be done, without co out of the ca and Woolie Willis and two others, were holding a herd of twelve hundred captured cattle on the prairie There was a sizable bunch in the pen, enough to be driven out to the herd

After the coas branded, Benteen turned it loose in the pen and unsaddled the dun gelding Before turning it out with the cavvy, he extracted the thorns fros and treated cuts that needed attention

Night was thickening the sky when he finally joined the other riders at the campfire Bruised and battered from the day’s work, he paused wearily to pour a cup of pitch-black coffee, then settled cross-legged on the ground After three grueling ood-sized herd ofhis brand With the eleven hundred dollars he’d ed to accumulate these last three years froes and money from the sale of maverick cattle that he’d roped, branded, and driven north with the Ten Bar herds, he’d have enough to buy a ree City he could sell off soh ood chunk left to carry hih the first lean years—if he was lucky

His glance swept the faces of the other men around the fire “Anybody seen Spanish today?”

The half-breed Mexican cowboy had been absent for three nights, but Spanish had practically been reared in the brush He knew all its secrets Of all the riders, Benteen was least concerned by the prolonged absence of Spanish Bill, but he took note of it

“Nope” Ely stabbed a knife into the steak sizzling in the skillet’s tallow and turned the meat over

“I cut his sign this ,” Jessie said “But it o days old”

“Where’d you cross his trail?”

“Over by that drahite brush”

“I’ll ride over that way to coffee, strong enough to stiffen his spine and bitter enough to waken his senses

Soht flickered, throwing grotesque shadows through the thicket Before any of them had time to reach for a weapon, a man called out in an accented voice, “It’s I, Spanish”

A lanky form separated itself fro the bulky shape of his saddle When Spanish Bill entered the circle of light, his dirty and ripped clothes told a lot of his story His li walk said a bit more

“Where’s your horse?” Shorty asked No one mentioned the fact that Spanish had been absent for three days His reception wasn’t any different than if they’d seen hi

“Back there” Spanish indicated the brush with a nod of his head and set his saddle on a barren piece of ground Dragging his left foot, he liht I would have to spend another night in the bush, until I smelled those steaks”

“They’re just about burnt” Ely indicated the meat was nearly done