being the qualifying word as to the number of either.

"It was night before we came to their trail, and to our surprise they
were heading inland, to the north. They must have had a contract to
supply the Mexican army with cavalry horses. They were simply sweeping
the country, taking nothing but gentle stock. These they bucked in
strings, and led. That made easy trailing, as each string left a
distinct trail. The moon was splendid that night, and we trailed as
easily as though it had been day. We didn't halt all night long on
either trail, pegging along at a steady gait, that would carry us
inland some distance before morning. Our scouts aroused every
ranch within miles that we passed on the way, only to have reports
exaggerated as usual. One thing we did learn that night, and that
was that the robbers were led by a white man. He was described in
the superlatives that the Spanish language possesses abundantly;
everything from the horse he rode to the solid braid on his sombrero
was described in the same strain. But that kind of prize was the kind
we were looking for.

"On the head of the Arroyo Colorado there is a broken country
interspersed with glades and large openings. We felt very sure that
the robbers would make camp somewhere in that country. When day broke
the freshness of the trail surprised and pleased us. They couldn't be
far away. Before an hour passed, we noticed a smoke cloud hanging low
in the morning air about a mile ahead. We dismounted and securely tied
our horses and pack stock. Every man took all the cartridges he could
use, and was itching for the chance to use them. We left the trail,
and to conceal ourselves took to the brush or dry arroyos as a
protection against alarming the quarry. They were a quarter of a mile
off when we first sighted them. We began to think the reports were