"What?"

"Why, he's run off a bunch of our stock. Leastways, that's how I'm
guessin'. I'm makin' up to his place right now to spy out things. I
was jest waitin' fer the sun to go. Y'see we're organizin' a vigilance
party to run--Say, I'd a notion fer a moment you was one of his
gang."

But Scipio disclaimed the honor promptly.

"No. I just need to find him. I'm needin' it bad."

"Wot fer?"

For once the man-hunter hesitated. A quite unaccountable feeling gave
him a moment's pause. But he finally answered frankly, as he always
answered, with a simple directness that was just part of him.

"He's stole my wife," he said, his eyes directly gazing into the
other's face.

"Gee, he's a low-down skunk," declared the other, with a curse. But
the ironical light in his eyes quite escaped his companion's
understanding.

Scipio was full of his good fortune in falling in with a man who knew
of James' whereabouts. A dozen questions sprang into his mind, but he
contented himself with stating his intention.

"I'll ride on with you," he said.

"What, right up to James' lay-out?"

"Sure. That's wher' I'm makin'."

For a moment the man calling himself Conroy sat gazing out at the
afterglow of the setting sun. His whole appearance was ill-favored
enough to have aroused distrust in anybody but a man like Scipio. Now
he seemed to be pondering a somewhat vexed question, and his brows
were drawn together in a way that suggested anything but a clear
purpose. But finally he seemed to make up his mind to a definite
course. He spoke without turning to his companion, and perhaps it was
for the purpose of hiding a lurking derisive smile.

"If you're set on makin' James' shanty, you best come right along.
Only"--he hesitated for the barest fraction of a second--"y'see, I'm
out after this cattle racket, an' I guess I owe it to my folks to git
their bizness thro' without no chance of upset. See?"

Scipio nodded. He saw the man's drift, and thought it quite splendid
of him.

"Now, I got to spy out things," the man went on, "an' if you get right
up ther' first it'll likely upset things fer me--you goin' ther' to
hold him up as it were." His smile was more pronounced. "Now I guess
I'll show you where his lay-out is if you'll sure give me your promise
to let me hunt around fer ha'f-an-hour around his corrals--'fore you
butt in. Then I'll get right back to you an' you can go up, an'--shoot
him to hell, if you notion that fancy."

Sc