awake through the darkness and try to plan what 
to do. | 
IV 
WHEN morning came their courage returned. 
Maybe after all the threat would amount to 
nothing. So after breakfast the woman drove 
the sheep up the canyon and the man went on 
finishing the stone foundation of his house, while 
little Pearl hunted for the wild mesquite beans 
for her pet birds. 
They ate supper that night as usual about 
sunset and afterward sat around the fire during 
the short twilight that followed. As darkness 
was beginning to fall the stillness was suddenly 
broken by the yelping bark of a coyote. The 
sound seemed to come from the hilltop across 
the canyon a few hundred yards away. It 
was answered by one in the hills back of them. 
Ten minutes went by, then all at once it was 
repeated, and the answering cry came back from 
the top of the canyon wall just behind them. 
*That’s no coyote,” yelled the man. “Get 
away from the fire quick.” They all jumped 
ait 
