ithout climbing."

"But I'm tellin' you I found these here _above_ the slide."

Angus stared at him, slowly taking in his meaning.

"Above it!" he exclaimed.

"That's what I said. Up hill from the slide. Slide stuff never runs up
hill. This stuff was _blown_ there."

"Gus put in a little shot--"

"Near a week ago. The dirt on these rocks ain't dry yet. Same with the
wood. They ain't been lyin' out in the sun no time at all. All Gus did
was to put in a little coyote hole, and she blew straight out. This
shot was above, and when she blew she ripped the whole sidehill loose.
Mebbe there was more than one shot. I'll bet I heard it, and thought it
was thunder. Anyway, all this stuff was above where the slide started.
And that's what made the first slide, too. It wasn't water. Some son of
a gun shot the ditch."

Angus turned the bits of evidence over in his hands, frowning.

"Who would do a trick like that?"

"You can come as near guessin' as I can."

Angus shook his head. Nobody, so far as he knew, would deliberately cut
off his water. And yet, according to this silent but conclusive
evidence, somebody had done so. The repairs had been wrecked as soon as
completed. They might be wrecked again. It gave him a strange,
uncomfortable feeling, akin to that of a mysterious presence in the
dark. Also it moved him to deep, silent anger.

"I would give a good deal to know," he said quietly.

"Nobody hangin' round lately that I've noticed. But somebody was keepin'
case all right, 'cause we only got water a few hours. And I'll tell you
somethin' else: When we get the flume pretty near in again I'm keepin'
case myself."

CHAPTER XXI

WATCHING

It took nine days to complete the flume a second time, and all hands
were dog-tired. All the time the heat had continued and the hot winds
were constant. The ranch had suffered badly. Irreparable damage had been
done. The grain was stunted, yellow. There would not be half a crop.

These things bit into the soul of Angus Mackay as he labored fiercely,
pitting his strength and endurance against relentless time. He could get
no clew, no inkling of the person responsible for the trouble.

On the afternoon of the day when the flume was completed, Rennie was
absent. After supper he sought Angus.

"I went across the creek this afternoon," he said, "and I clumb up onto
that hill across where we was workin'. There was somebody there across
the gulch from me. Course I went dow