The Brannon outfit -- known as the Slash-B because of its brand -- reached Hondo Creek before sundown. The herd was watered and then thrown onto a broad grass flat which was to be the first night's bedground. Two of the new hands, a Mexican named Jose Amado and a kid known only as Laredo, were picked for the first trick of riding night herd.

The rest of the crew offsaddled their mounts and turned them into the remuda. They got tin cups of coffee from the big pot on the coosie's fire, rolled and lighted brown paper cigarettes, lounged about. There was some idle talk, a listless discussion of this or that small happening during the day's drive. But they deliberately avoided the one subject that had them all curious: the failure of the boss's wife and son to join the outfit. It especially bothered the older hands.

The cook, Mateo Garcia, had arrived there long before the herd. He'd started a fire and put coffee on, and now was busy at the work board of his chuck wagon. He was readying a batch of sourdough biscuits for the Dutch oven. Supper would be ready within the hour.

The Maguire family was setting up a separate camp nearby. Billie had unhitched the mules from both Tom Brannon's and his father's wagon. Hank had gathered wood for a cookfire, and his wife was busy at it now. Conchita kept an eye on the twins and little Elena, trying to keep them from falling into the creek by which they persisted in playing. Conchita nagged at the younger children, attempting without success to keep her thoughts off Tom Brannon.