An hour’s riding put Bert Cole on the Soda Point range. It was a long, narrow stretch of range composed of a low but exceedingly rough range of hills flanked by flats, or valleys on either side, and running down to a point within half a mile of Soda River.
He had two possible ways of reaching the point; one to skirt the hills in the direction of Bicknell, the other to cut through a rough pass, and then follow a winding trail through the centre of the hills. The latter, though rougher, promised a more direct route, with a better chance of finding the rustlers no matter which way they decided to drive the cattle.
Once in the hills he had to slow up at times, letting Chief walk uphill, but making up for lost time on the down stretches or on the level. It was a fairly light night, but he saw
