at Show-Down

XLVI Strong Men

XLVII Peace

ILLUSTRATIONS

Before the heavy snows these bunches were rounded up and driven to the
ranch

He turned the corner, and came full upon a huge, old-man grizzly

Angus swung his arm against it, and it roared in his ear

To Faith these trips were a novelty, opening a world new and wonderful

The Land of Strong Men

CHAPTER I

LOST AND FOUND

It was light, but not yet day. The shadows of the night seemed to
linger, to retreat with reluctance; and as they were beaten back by the
sun, still far below the eastern curve of the earth and further
blockaded by giant mountain ranges also to the eastward, the clinging,
gray morning mists of early Fall came to replace them. In the pallid
light, a-swim with vapor, objects loomed gigantic and grotesque.

The house which stood among the mists was of squared timbers, mortised
and fitted. It was unpainted, and the interstices were neatly filled
with plaster. The main part was two stories in height, but back of this
and joined to it was another log building, long and low. Evidently this
had been the original dwelling, to which the more pretentious structure
had been added. From one window of this rear building a light glimmered.

The house was surrounded and in summer would be shaded by trees,
cottonwoods and soft maples; but these had shed most of their leaves and
the ground was yellowed with them. Close beside the house ran an
irrigation ditch in which clear mountain water purred and gurgled
softly. To the south loomed the roofs of stables, sheds, high corrals
and stacks of hay and straw. Beyond these were cleared, level fields. To
the northward, protected to some extent by the buildings and trees, was
a small orchard in neat rows.

Now, the light in the rear window went out, and a moment later a door
opened and a boy emerged. He was apparently about eighteen, but
unusually tall and long of limb. At a casual glance he seemed to run to
legs and arms, but a second look would have shown that his chest was
broad and deep, and that his apparent ungainliness was due to age
merely. His face, naturally dark, was tanned to the color of an old
saddle. The cheekbones were high, the nose prominent, the mouth straight
and the boyish jaw firm. The eyes were dark, steady and sombre, shaded
by black eyebrows which slashed straight across the face, meeting above
the nose. The darkness of complexion, the heavy brows,