THE HIDDEN SPRING 5

for the next few days latigo didnt spot any more human mules. he decided to take a few days and check his ranch. he still carried the moral with the phone and spotting glasses. . he had not seen or heard a word from the army. and that suited him right down to the ground. his cattle were scattered thinly over the desert ranch. he could ride for days and maybe only see a few. but he rode to the water holes and wind mills checking water levels and salt. at each one he found some cattle hanging out. when ever he found himself along the southern edge of the ranch he would take a little time and watch down into the bombing range. nothing moved there that was human. he saw lots of javalina, deer and some wild cattle. no humans. finally he found himself on the trail to the hidden spring. it was a steep climb up the hill to where the craterm was. but there was some cattle tracks on the trail. when he topped out the trail onto the top of the ridge he could smell smoke. without even thinking he unbuttoned his chap pocket. in that pocket was a snub nosed 38. he rode forward. at the edge of the crater a small fire of palo verde wood smoldered. cans of camp food lay about empty. but no one was there. he dismounted and kicked dirt onto the smoldering fire. then collected the trash dropped it into a crevice of the rocks. all the while cussing the people who did this. after he cleaned up the camp site he took the moral and walked to the edge of the crater where he could look south into the bombing range. for a good hour he glassed the country to the south. but he found nothing to report. finally he went to his horse and mounted. it was getting late in the afternoon and it was a long way home. he had ridden just a few yards when he saw a trail of foot prints headed north. tennis shoe tracks plainly seen in the fine dust. he pulled the sat phone from the moral and called louis number. when he answered latigo explained the illegals had gotten past him and were walking north toward maricopa. louis assured him he would have a patrol watching for them. as he rode on into the dusk latigo was thinking about a incident in south east asia where he had lost 4 man from a patrol. they had been following a jungle trail and had been ambusched. it came to him this could be the same scenario. presently the trail forked. to the north east the trail would take you to a hiway. to the north west it would take you to his house. all the foot prints went to the north east, except one it was going to his house. absently minded he placed his hand on the pistol in his chap pocket.