Mark had been on the trail with the three men for a week before he diffidently approached Alvin White one evening. "Is it all right if I ask you something?"

White traded looks with Jake and Tom. "I think you want to ask where my cows are." The boy nodded and the trail boss smiled. "Have some coffee."

Mark sat by the fire and poured a cup of coffee, took a long swallow, then blurted, "It's just that I want to earn my pay, Mr White. I wasn't raised to accept something for nothing."

"I thought you left your father behind," said Jake.

"There isn't much I want to remember about him," said the boy defiantly, "but that don't mean he was wrong about everything. A man can't hold his head up with his hand out."

"All right," White nodded. "It's about time you know."

Mark looked puzzled. "Know what?"

"There aren't going to be any cows, son." White leaned forward. "Oh, we're going to Kansas, but not on a drive. There is a shipment in gold going out from Fort Harker to Fort Bayard. A payroll for every buffalo soldier in the territories and we have the route it's taking."

He grinned. "A lady friend of mine got the information from the paymaster himself. He really shouldn't drink, it makes his tongue wag too much."

Mark frowned. "You can't take a gold shipment from the army with a couple of men."

"We're not going to try," said Tom. "We had Dan because we needed someone young enough to get the soldiers off their guard." He scowled. "When your father killed him, he didn't just take a friend. He ruined our plan."

Jake said quickly, "Dan was Mark's friend too, don't forget. He wanted to cut Mark in, that's how close they were."

They were all silent for a moment, then White said, "You're even younger than Dan, son. When they see you laying on the trail, at least one of the drivers will come over to take a look. You handle him, and we'll take the other driver and the guards."

Mark hesitated. "I don't want no killing."

"Neither do we," said Jake. "We take their horses and leave the soldiers afoot and we'll be halfway to Mexico before they walk back to Fort Harker. They won't come to no harm, other than being a little footsore. It's better that way."

"Much better," said White. "They'll be mad about the gold but there's more gold where that came from. If we killed the soldiers, they'd chase us to hell and back. No, I don't hold with killing. I got it planned so it'll go off with no trouble at all."