Bill had deliberately chosen to steal rather than work for honest wages, and had preferred the unstable friendship of Ramon Chavez to the cleaner life in Luck's company.

He did not credit Bill Holmes with anything stronger than a weak-souled treachery.

Ramon, he told himself while he made his way down the arroyo side, was at least working out a clever scheme of his own, and it rested with Luck and his posse to see that Ramon was cheated of success.
So deeply was he engrossed that before he realized it he was down where they had left Applehead's party.

There was no sign of them anywhere, so Luck went down and mounted his horse and led the way down the arroyo.
Already the heat was lessening and the land was taking on those translucent opal tints which make of New Mexico a land of enchantment.
The far hills enveloped themselves in a faint, purplish haze through which they seemed to blush unwittingly.

The mesa, no longer showing itself an and waste of heat and untracked wilderness, lay soft under a thin veil of many ethereal tints.