When Newt rode back to the herd he practically floated over the ground, he felt so happy. The death of Mouse was forgotten in the pleasure of remembering Lorena. She had smiled at him as he was mounting to leave.

It was not lost on the cowboys that Newt had secured a rare invitation. As he loped back to the drags, many heads were turned his way. But the drive had started, and no one got much of a chance to question him until that evening, when they were all getting their grub.

Dish, the friend who had relieved him of the burden of killing his own horse, was the most curious.

"Did you get to see Lorie?" Dish asked point-blank. He still felt such love for Lorie that even speaking her name caused him to feel weak sometimes.

"I seen her, she was drinking coffee," Newt said.

"Yes, she always took coffee in the morning," Lippy said, demonstrating a familiarity with Lorena's habits that offended Dish at once.

"Yes, and I'm sure you spied on her every opportunity you got," he said hotly.

"It didn't take no spying, she took it right in the saloon," Lippy said. "It was watch or go blind."

He was aware, as all the hands were, that Dish was mighty in love, but Dish was not the first cowboy to fall in love with a whore, and Lippy didn't feel he had to make too many concessions to the situation.

"Dish don't allow low types like us the right even to look at the girl," Jasper remarked. He had met with nothing but rejection at the hands of Lorena, and was still bitter about it.

"I bet Newt got a good look," Soupy said. "Newt's getting to an age to have an eye for the damsels."

Newt kept silent, embarrassed. He would have liked to brag a little about his visit, perhaps even repeat one of the remarks Lorena had made, but he was aware that he couldn't do so without causing Dish Boggett to feel bad that it wasn't him who had got the visit.

"Is Lorie still pretty or has all this traveling ruint her looks?" Needle Nelson asked.

"As if it could," Dish said angrily.

"She's real pretty still," Newt said. "Mr. Gus did most of the talking."

"Oh, Gus always does the most of it," Pea Eye said. "If they'd just pitch their tent a little closer, we could all hear it. Gus has a loud voice."

"I wouldn't care to listen," Dish said. It rankled him continually that Gus had all of Lorena's company, day after day.

"I never seen such a jealous bug as you are, Dish," Jasper said.

Call had eaten quickly and left with Deets-the Arkansas was only a few miles away and he wanted to have a look at the crossing. They loped up to the river through the long prairie dusk and sat on the riverbank awhile. Even in the moonlight they could see that the current was strong.

"I've always heard the Arkansas was swift," Call said. "Did you try it?"

"Oh yes," Deets said. "It took me down aways."

"It comes out of the same mountains as the Rio Grande," Call said. "Just a different side."

"Reckon we'll ever get back, Captain?" Deets asked. He had not planned to ask, but at mention of the Rio Grande he felt a sudden homesickness. He had been back and forth across the Rio Grande for so many years that it made him sad to think he might never see it again. The Rio Grande was shallow and warm, and no trouble to cross, whereas the farther north they went, the colder and swifter the rivers became.

Call was surprised by the question. "Why, some of the boys will be going back, I guess," he said. "I doubt that I'll return myself," he added, and hoped that Deets wouldn't want to go either. He relied on Deets too much. None of the other hands had his judgment.

Deets said no more about it, but his heart was heavy with a longing for Texas.

Call looked up the river toward Colorado. "That dern bandit's up there somewhere," he said. "I wish Gus had got him."

Deets could tell by the grim way the Captain was looking toward the mountains that he wished he could go after the man. Pursuit was what he and the Captain did best, and now he was wishing he could pursue Blue Duck.

Thinking to turn the Captain's mind from the outlaw, Deets mentioned something he had considered keeping to himself. It was something he had noticed the day before while scouting to the east a few miles.

"Wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Jake is around," he said.

"Jake?" Call asked. "Why would he be around?"

"Might not be him, but his horse is around," Deets said. "I crossed the track yesterday. It was that pacing horse he come home on."

"I'll swear," Call said. "Are you sure about the horse?"

"Oh, yes," Deets said. "I know the track. Four other horses with him. I guess Mr. Jake could have sold the horse."

"I doubt he would," Call said. "Jake likes a pacer."

He thought the information over as they trotted back toward the herd. He had meant it when he told Gus he wanted no more to do with Jake Spoon. Jake had only come back to Lonesome Dove to use them for support, and no doubt he would try to do it again if he got in trouble. This time it would probably be worse trouble, too. Once a man like Jake-who had got by on dash and little else all his life-started sliding, he might slide faster and faster.

"Oh, well," Call said, "we ain't far from Dodge. He may just be looking for a summer of gambling. Keep your eye out, though," he added. "If you strike his track again, let me know."

Deets went on back to camp, but Call stopped a mile away and staked his mare. He considered riding over to see Gus and passing on the news, but decided it could wait until morning. News of Jake might disturb the girl. If he was right, and Jake was just headed for Dodge, there was nothing to worry about.

He sat up much of the night, listening to the Irishman sing to the cattle. As he was listening, a skunk walked between him and the mare. It nosed along, stopping now and then to scratch at the dirt. Call sat still and the skunk soon went on its way. The Hell Bitch paid it no mind. She went on quietly grazing.

"I'LL BE GLAD to get to Dodge," Jake said. "I'd like a bath and a whore. And a good barber to shave me. There's a barber there named Sandy that I fancy, if nobody ain't shot him."

"You'll know tomorrow, I guess," Dan Suggs said. "I've never liked barbers myself."

"Dan don't even like whores," Roy Suggs said. "Dan's hard to please."

Jake was cheered by the thought that Dodge was so close. He was tired of the empty prairie and the sullen Suggses, and was looking forward to jolly company and some good card games. He had every intention of wiggling loose from the Suggses in Dodge. Gambling might be his ticket. He could win a lot of money and tell them he'd had enough of the roving life. They didn't own him, after all.

It was a sunny day, and Jake rode along happily. Sometimes he got a lucky feeling-the feeling that he was meant for riches and beautiful women and that nothing could keep him down for long. The lucky feeling came to him as he rode, and the main part of it was his sense that he was about to get free of the Suggs brothers. They were hard men, and he had made a bad choice in riding with them, but nothing very terrible had come of it, and they were almost to Dodge. It seemed to him he had slid into bad luck in Arkansas the day he accidentally shot the dentist, and now he was about to slide out of it in Kansas and resume the kind of enjoyable life he felt he deserved. Frog Lip was riding just in front of him, and he felt how nice it would be not to have to consort with such a man again. Frog Lip rode along silently, as he had the whole trip, but there was menace in his silence, and Jake was ready for lighter company-a whore, particularly. There were sure to be plenty of them in Dodge.

In the afternoon, though, Dan Suggs, the man who was hard to please, saw something he liked: a herd of about twenty-five horses being driven south by three men. He rode over to a ridge and inspected the horses through his spyglasses. When he came back he had a pleased look on his face. At the sight of it Jake immediately lost his lucky feeling.