into a lope, and as he did, he yelled at Coker's ranch hands, Chan, and the Makepeace brothers: "Let's move out."

Coker and I rode into Clayton, sent our telegrams, and, less than an hour later, were following Charley and the others north.

"Christ, the trail those boys left is as easy to find as a fly in a currant pie," Coker said. "Look at them mule tracks." Two of the ranch hands were leading pack mules laden with supplies for our trip north.

Coker pointed to the ground. "One of them mules is bandy-legged… see how his hind feet are pigeon-toed. That means the points of his hocks are turned outward. Why, following this bunch will be like slidin' the groove."

I looked at what Coker was pointed at, but I was not adept at reading sig...

Please subscribe to keep reading.