to now."

"But there is plenty of water in the Rabbit-Ear," returned Hollis;
"plenty for all the cattle that are here now."

Norton flashed a swift glance at him. "That's because you don't know
this country," he said. "Four years ago we had a dry spell. Not so bad
as this, but bad enough. The Rabbit-Ear held up good enough for two
months. Then she went dry sudden. There wasn't water enough in her to
fill a thimble. I reckon you ain't been watchin' her for the last day or
so?"

Hollis admitted that he had not seen the river within that time. Norton
laughed shortly.

"She's dry in spots now," he informed Hollis. "There ain't any water at
all in the shallows. It's tricklin' through in some places, but mostly
there's nothin' but water holes an' dried, baked mud. In two days more,
if it don't rain, there won't be water enough for our own stock. Then
what?"

"There will be water for every steer on the range as long as it lasts,"
declared Hollis grimly. "After that we'll all take our medicine
together."

"Good!" declared Norton. "That's what I expected of you. But I don't
think it's goin' to work out that way. Weary was ridin' the Razor Back
this mornin' and he says he saw Dunlavey an' Yuma and some more Circle
Cross guys nosin' around behind some brush on the other side of the
creek. They all had rifles."

Hollis's face paled slightly. "Where are the other men--Train and the
rest?" he inquired.

"Down on Razor Back," Norton informed him; "they sneaked down there
after Weary told me about seein' Dunlavey on the other side. Likely
they're scattered by now--keepin' an eye out for trouble."

"Well," decided Hollis, "there isn't any use of looking for it. It finds
all of us soon enough. To-morrow is the tenth day and I am sure that if
Dunlavey carries out his threat he won't start anything until to-morrow.
Therefore I am going to bed." He laughed. "Call me if you hear any
shooting. I may want to take a hand in it."

They parted--Hollis going to his room and Norton stepping down off the
porch to take a turn down around the pasture to look after the horses.

Hollis was tired after his experiences of the day and soon dropped off
to sleep. It seemed that he had been asleep only a few minutes, however,
when he felt a hand shaking him, and a voice--Norton's voice.

"Hollis!" said the range boss. "Hollis! Wake up!"

Hollis sat erect, startled into perfect wakefulness. He could not see
Norton's face in the dark, but he sw