nto the road?

"When you come right down to it," he continued, "killing a man, no
matter what he's done to you, is a serious business. I propose we make
one more attempt to stave this thing off. Let's see if we can't get to
talk with the marshal himself; at any rate, warn him of the danger of
going any further. Boys, let's not fire the first shot. What do you
say?"

The others agreed unanimously and promptly; and old Broderson, tugging
uneasily at his long beard, added:

"No--no--no violence, no UNNECESSARY violence, that is. I should hate
to have innocent blood on my hands--that is, if it IS innocent. I don't
know, that S. Behrman--ah, he is a--a--surely he had innocent blood on
HIS head. That Dyke affair, terrible, terrible; but then Dyke WAS in the
wrong--driven to it, though; the Railroad did drive him to it. I want to
be fair and just to everybody."

"There's a team coming up the road from Los Muertos," announced Presley
from the door.

"Fair and just to everybody," murmured old Broderson, wagging his head,
frowning perplexedly. "I don't want to--to--to harm anybody unless they
harm me."

"Is the team going towards Guadalajara?" enquired Garnett, getting up
and coming to the door.

"Yes, it's a Portuguese, one of the garden truck men."

"We must turn him back," declared Osterman. "He can't go through here.
We don't want him to take any news on to the marshal and S. Behrman."

"I'll turn him back," said Presley.

He rode out towards the market cart, and the others, watching from
the road in front of Hooven's, saw him halt it. An excited interview
followed. They could hear the Portuguese expostulating volubly, but in
the end he turned back.

"Martial law on Los Muertos, isn't it?" observed Osterman. "Steady all,"
he exclaimed as he turned about, "here comes Harran."

Harran rode up at a gallop. The others surrounded him.

"I saw them," he cried. "They are coming this way. S. Behrman and
Ruggles are in a two-horse buggy. All the others are on horseback. There
are eleven of them. Christian and Delaney are with them. Those two have
rifles. I left Hooven watching them."

"Better call in Gethings and Cutter right away," said Annixter. "We'll
need all our men."

"I'll call them in," Presley volunteered at once. "Can I have the
buckskin? My pony is about done up."

He departed at a brisk gallop, but on the way met Gethings and Cutter
returning. They, too, from their elevated position, had observed the