Michael turned to Andrew. “They look like they’re wantin’ somethin’. You talk the language better than I do. Why don’t you go down and see what they’re after?”

Andrew seemed to accept without question his brother’s reluctance to approach the soldiers. Anyway, it was his farm. “Sure, they’re probably just lookin’ for directions to someplace.”

Michael said firmly, “Give them directions to someplace a long ways from here.”

James said, “I’ll go with you, Andrew, in case of trouble.”

Andrew gave him a surprised glance. “Trouble? There won’t be any unless you’re lookin’ to start some.”

“I’ve never been one to cause trouble.”

Andrew smiled. “That’s not what Annie says. But just you let me do the talkin’.”

James couldn’t have done any talking if he had wanted to, for the conversation was all in Spanish. He stood in awkward, confused silence, listening to Andrew and a couple of the soldiers, watching the elaborate movement of their hands as they augmented their words. James thought the visitors were a hard-looking lot, all eyeing Andrew’s cabin as if they would like to see what was in it. Their uniforms were dirty and threadbare. One man was knife-scarred, two had misshapen noses which James guessed had been broken fighting, and one was missing part of an ear. He wondered idly if it had been bitten off or sliced away with a knife. Neither way was much of a recommendation. He had seen better-looking men on a chain in a Tennessee prisoner work gang.

Though not a word had been said that James could understand, James had a strong feeling that Andrew was uneasy. A couple of times one of the men pointed toward the cabin, and Andrew shook his head, pointing off in another direction.

At last the men turned their horses and rode away, down toward the river. Andrew leaned on the rail fence, watching them intently. James knew he had not been mistaken; something about the soldiers had struck a raw nerve in his brother. James said, “They had the uniforms, but they didn’t look much like real soldiers to me.” He had heard tell of outlaws using soldier uniforms to gain an advantage over the unsuspecting. “You think maybe they’re somethin’ else?”

“They’re soldiers, all right, but they’re not like the ones we’ve seen around here before. I’m afraid Zaragosa was right. He told me they were fixin’ to send convict soldiers up here to watch over us.”

“What did they want?”

“They asked how many people are settled in this part of the country, and if we’re the last ones to the west. But all the time they kept lookin’ at the cabin. If there hadn’t been so many of us here, I expect they had in mind to rob it.”

“What’re we goin’ to do?”

“Nothin’ much we can do. Maybe they won’t be back.”

James doubted that. He had seen for himself the way they looked toward the cabin. Andrew and Petra didn’t have much, but even that little must look like a lot to someone who had nothing at all. “We can run them the hell off if they do show up here again.”