“I can’t say where they’re headin’,” Crabb replied. “But when I saw ’em, they were goin’ down the trail that’ll take you to Alvin Peavy’s tradin’ post on the Sun River. That’s where I trade my pelts.”

“I’d be obliged if you’d show me where I can strike that trail,” Hawk said.

“No trouble findin’ that trail,” Crabb said. “You take this one on down to the valley. You’ll see where the trail comin’ around the mountain forks, one headin’ east to Choteau, the other’un headin’ south. That south trail goes right to Alvin’s place.”

“How far is it to the Sun River?” Hawk asked.

“From here, I make it a long half day, about thirty miles, I expect.”

That was pretty close to what Hawk would have guessed. “Much obliged, Davey. I hope you don’t have any more visitors up here.”

“You best be careful, Mr. Hawk,” Crabb replied. “Those fellers look like they could give a man all the trouble he can handle.”

Hawk whistled for Rascal, and as always, the buckskin responded immediately, suddenly emerging from the thicket of pines beside the path and coming to a stop beside Hawk. “I’ll do that, Davey. You take care of yourself.”

“Always do,” the little man said softly as he watched Hawk disappear down the path.

Coming out of the trees at the base of the mountain, Hawk saw the obvious trail, just as Crabb had said it would be. Since it was leading in the direction he needed to go to get back to his camp, he followed it around to the fork, then took the trail heading almost straight south. He stayed on that trail until reaching the stream that ran through the canyon where he had made his camp. He left the trail then and followed the stream up past the crossing where he shot Blue Davis. He continued on to his camp, where he was happy to see his supply of meat, wrapped in the hide and still hanging undisturbed from a tree limb. With apologies to Rascal for the extra weight, he loaded the horse with the meat and his other supplies, then rode back down the creek to the Sun River trail. There was still half a day’s worth of daylight left, so he figured he might as well start out for Peavy’s trading post.

* * *