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wanted whoever was out there to da

Again he started his horse forward, traveling at a walk as before He was on a straight course to the entrance of the ed the sides of its floor, their withered leaves showing the effects of the drought

The last hundred yards to its er by his reluctance to see whatfor hiency Picking up on it, his horse shifted into a jog-trot

As Chase approached the coulee’s widein behind hi thenot an inch of soil uncovered Chase pulled up to study it, searching for the telltale gouge of a hoof

“Yo!” The shout came from Stumpy

Instantly Chase wheeled his horse in Stuot?”

“Hoofprints co in deep!”

Chase kneith certainty there was no reason to look in the middle coulee The search would end in the first With dread in his heart, he rode over to join up with Stumpy and Jobe

Ten yards inside the round where a heavy runoff had at one tih the center of it, hooves had gouged out a set of deep tracks They were the kind of prints a horse left when it was digging for speed

Chase studied thelance over hiswas flattened from his voice “But we’ll keep to the left If there are any other tracks, we don’t want to mess them up”

Taking the lead, he walked his horse into the coulee The branches of a tall scrub brush raked across his leg The dry rattle of it sounded unnaturally loud Ears swiveling, his horse snorted Chase could feel itsup ahead it didn’t like Steeling himself, Chase continued on

Twenty yards in, the going got rough Brush and s Chase to steer his horse into the center

Ahead the coulee widened out toturn northward When Chase rounded its bend, he saw Ty lying near soht Blood soaked the front of his shirt, coloring it a dark scarlet Braced as Chase had been for the sight, it was still a blow that ripped a deep, guttural moan from his chest

“Sweet Jesus, no,” Stumpy murmured behind him as Chase piled out of the saddle

Pain and rage welled up together, but Chase knew this was not the time to release either of theiven