CHAPTER XIV.
LAWLER'S "NERVE" When Lawler spoke to Blackburn regarding the news that had been communicated to him by the horse-wrangler, Blackburn suggested that himself and several of the Circle L men ride back to ascertain the object of the trailers.
"We'll ride back an' make 'em talk!" he declared, heatedly.
Lawler, however, would not agree, telling Blackburn that the trail was free, and that, until the men made some hostile move, there was no reason why they should be approached.
So the men ate, selected new mounts from their "strings" in the _remuda_, and again started the big herd forward.
Lawler rode for a time with Garvin, keeping an alert eye on the back trail.

But though he could see far up the canon, where the trail--white with dust from the passing of the herd--wound its sinuous way upward into the dark recesses between the towering mesa walls, he could see no sign of life or movement.
The nonappearance of the mysterious riders was suspicious, for if their intentions were friendly they would have come boldly on.

In fact, if they were abroad upon an honest errand, they must have found the slowness of the herd ahead of them irksome; and they would have passed it as soon as possible, merely to escape the dust cloud raised by the cattle.
When the afternoon began to wane the herd was far out in the basin, traveling steadily toward a point where the little river doubled, where Blackburn intended to camp for the night.

And though both Blackburn and Lawler scanned the back trail intently at intervals, there was still no sign of the riders Garvin had mentioned.
Nor did the riders pass the herd in the night.

Blackburn threw an extra guard around the cattle, making the shifts shorter and more frequent; and when daylight came a short conference among the Circle L men disclosed the news that no riders had passed.