.

"Changing the brand," Hollis informed him. He related how Ace and Weary
had come upon the prisoner while the latter was engaged in changing his
brand to the Circle Cross.

"They see him brandin'?" questioned the sheriff when Hollis had
concluded.

Hollis told him that the two men had come upon Greasy after the brand
had been applied, but that the cattle bore the Circle Bar ear-mark, and
that Greasy had built a fire and that branding irons had been found in
his possession--which which he had tried to hide when discovered by the
Circle Bar men.

"Then your men didn't really see him doin' the brandin'?" questioned
Watkins.

Hollis was forced to admit that they had not. Watkins smiled
sarcastically.

"I reckon you're runnin' a little bit wild," he remarked. "Some of your
stock has been rebranded an' you're chargin' a certain man with doin'
it--only you didn't see him doin' it." He turned to Greasy. "What you
got to say about this, Greasy?" he demanded.

Greasy grinned blandly at Hollis. "This guy's talkin' through his hat,"
he sneered. "I ain't allowin' that I branded any of his cattle."

Watkins smiled. "There don't seem to be nothin' to this case a-tall--not
a-tall. There ain't nobody goin' to be took into custody by me for
stealin' cattle unless they're ketched with the goods--an' that ain't
been proved so far." He turned to Hollis. "You got anything more to say
about it?" he demanded.

"Only this," returned Hollis slowly and evenly, "I have brought this man
here. I charge him with stealing my cattle. To use your term--he was
caught 'with the goods.' He is guilty. If you take him into custody and
bring him to trial I shall have two witnesses there to prove what I have
already told you. If you do not take him into custody, it is perfectly
plain that you are deliberately shielding him--that you are making a
joke of the law."

Watkins's face reddened angrily. "Mebbe I'm makin' a joke of it----" he
began.

"Of course we can't force you to arrest this man," resumed Hollis,
interrupting Watkins. "Unfortunately the government has not yet awakened
to the fact that such men as you are a public menace and danger. I did
not expect you to arrest him--I tell you that frankly. I merely brought
him here to see whether it were true that you were leagued with Dunlavey
against the other ranchers in the country. You are, of course.
Therefore, as we cannot secure justice by appealing to you we will be
forced to adopt othe