HUGHES' STORY Hamlin thrust his glove into his belt, drew forth his revolver, and gripped its stock with bare hand.

This odd, hidden dwelling might be deserted, a mere empty shack, but he could not disconnect it in his mind from that murderous attack made upon their little party two hours before.

Why was it here in the heart of this desert?
Why built with such evident intent of concealment?
But for what had occurred on the plateau above, his suspicions would never have been aroused.

This was already becoming a cattle country; adventurous Texans, seeking free range and abundant water, had advanced along all these prominent streams with their grazing herds of long-horns.

Little by little they had gained precarious foothold on the Indian domains, slowly forcing the savages westward.