r way, even if the feed ain't so good along the trail. It's
most all prairie-dog towns--but that's good enough for sheep." Jack, in
his intense partisanship, spoke as if sheep were not entitled to decent
grass at any time or under any circumstances.

"Them herders packin' guns looks to me like they're goin' to make
trouble if they kin," gloomed Happy Jack. "I betche they'll kill
somebody before they're through. When sheepmen gits mean--"

Pink picked up his rope and started for the large corral, where a few
saddle horses had been driven in just before supper and had not yet been
turned out.

"You fellows can stand around and chew the rag, if you want to," he said
caustically, "and wait for Weary to make a war-talk. But I'm going to
keep cases on them Dots, if I have to stand an all-night guard on 'em. I
don't blame Weary; he's looking out for the law-and-order business--and
that's all right. But I'm not in charge of the outfit. I'm going to do
as I darn please, and, if they don't like my style, they can give me my
time."

"Good for you, Little One!" Big Medicine hurried to overtake him so
that he might slap him on the shoulder with his favorite, sledge-hammer
method of signifying his approval of a man's sentiments. "Honest to
grandma, I was just b'ginnin' to think this bunch was gitting all
streaked up with yeller. 'Course, we ain't goin' to wait for no official
orders, by cripes! I'd ruther lock Weary up in the blacksmith shop than
let him tell us to go ahead. Go awn and tell him a good, stiff lie,
Andy--just to keep him interested while us fellers make a gitaway. He
ain't in on this; we don't want him in on it."

"What yuh goin' to do?" Happy Jack inquired suspiciously. "Yuh can't
go and monkey with them sheep, er them herders. They ain't on our land.
And, if you don't git killed, old Dunk'll fix yuh like he fixed the
Gordon boys--I know him--to a fare-you-well. It'd tickle him to death to
git something on us fellers. I betche that's what he's aiming t'do. Git
us to fightin' his outfit so's't--"

"Oh, go off and lie down!" Andy implored him contemptuously. "We're
going to hang those herders, and drive the sheep all over a cut-back
somewhere, like Jesus done to the hogs, and then we're going over and
murder old Dunk, if he's at home, and burn the house to hide the guilty
deed. And, if the sheriff comes snooping around, asking disagreeable
questions, we'll all swear you done it. So now you know our plans; shut
yo