ad
marked his attitude in the beginning, but this enthusiasm had been
replaced by determination. He was beginning to realize that in Dunlavey
he had met a foe worthy of his most serious efforts. He had determined
that there would be no repetition of the attack upon him, and therefore
during his convalescence he had sent to Las Vegas for a repeating rifle,
and this he carried with him on his trips to and from Dry Bottom.

Meanwhile the drought continued. The sky was cloudless, the desultory
breezes that swept the plains blighted growing things, raising little
whirlwinds of fine, flinty alkali dust and spreading it over the face of
the world. The storm that had caught Hollis on the Dry Bottom trail had
covered only a comparatively small area; it had lasted only a brief time
and after its passage the country was dry as before.

Rabbit-Ear Creek of all the streams in the vicinity of Dry Bottom held
water. From all points of the compass cattle drifted to the Rabbit-Ear,
slaking their thirst and refusing to leave. Bronzed riders on drooping
ponies trailed them, cutting them out, trying to keep their herds
intact, but not succeeding. Confusion reigned. For miles in both
directions Rabbit-Ear Creek became one huge, long watering trough.
Temporary camps were made; chuck wagons rattled up to them, loaded with
supplies for the cowboys, and rattled back to distant ranches for more.
There had been other droughts, but this one was
unexpected--unprecedented. There had always been a little water
everywhere. Now Rabbit-Ear Creek held all there was.

Only the small cattle owners suffered because of the drought. Riders
told of the presence of plenty of water in the Canadian, the Cimarron,
and the Ute. Carrizo held some. In fact, nearly all the streams held by
the large ranchers seemed to contain plenty. The smaller owners, whose
herds were smaller and whose complement of punchers was necessarily
limited, had apparently been selected by Providence for ruin.

There were mutterings against the large owners, against Providence.
Particularly were there mutterings against Dunlavey when word came to
the owners of the herds that if the drought was not broken within the
next ten days the Circle Cross manager would drive all foreign cattle
from the Rabbit-Ear. He would not allow his own herds to suffer to save
theirs, he said.

On the night following the day upon which the small owners had received
this word from Dunlavey a number of the forme