Then, stooping, he stole from one cover to another, taking advantage of rocks and bunches of sage, until he had reached the thickets under the opposite wall.

Once there, he exercised extreme caution in his surveys of the ground ahead, but increased his speed when moving.

Dodging from bush to bush, he passed the mouths of two canyons, and in the entrance of a third canyon he crossed a wash of swift clear water, to come abruptly upon the cattle trail.
It followed the low bank of the wash, and, keeping it in sight, Venters hugged the line of sage and thicket.

Like the curves of a serpent the canyon wound for a mile or more and then opened into a valley.

Patches of red showed clear against the purple of sage, and farther out on the level dotted strings of red led away to the wall of rock.
"Ha, the red herd!" exclaimed Venters.
Then dots of white and black told him there were cattle of other colors in this inclosed valley.