our permission to come along, and he was telling us that in his own way. We rode in silence, three abreast most of the way. Then, about a half mile from the farm, Charley and I stopped and dismounted. Ignacio looked back at us.

"Stop, damn it," Charley growled at Ignacio, keeping his voice low. "We're leavin' the horses here and goin' afoot. You stay behind us." The three of us made our way back to the point in the ravine Charley and I had reached the day before. We watched the house for several minutes. I checked my pocket watch. It was only about six in the morning, and the sun was beginning to launch golden shards of light across the Kansas prairie. I checked my Winchester, and Charley did the same. Ignacio had carried an odd-looking rifle slung over his back. He moved...

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