camped with this
bird, an' I tell you he's got a passel of Rangers with him somewheres.
We're standin' here jawin' waitin' for them to round us up, I reckon."

Overstreet looked at Homer. His eyebrows lifted in a slight surprise. He
and the younger Dinsmore had been side partners for years. Homer was a
cool customer. It wasn't like him to scare. There was something in this
he did not understand. Anyhow, he would back his pal's play till he
found out.

"I expect you're right. We can easy enough prove it. Let's light out for
the cap-rock an' hole up for a coupla days. Then one of us will slip out
an' see if the herd's still here an' no Rangers in sight. We'll keep
this gent a prisoner till we know where we're at? How's that?"

"You talk like we was the United States Army, Dave," growled Pete
Dinsmore. "We got no way to take care o' prisoners. I'm for settlin'
this thing right here."

The outlaws drew closer together and farther from Ridley. He was unarmed
and wholly in their power. If he tried to run he could not get twenty
yards. The voices of the men fell.

Arthur began to tremble. His face grew gray, his lips bloodless. On the
issue of that conference his life hung. The easiest thing to do would be
to make an end of him now. Would they choose that way out of the
difficulty? He could see that Gurley had, for the moment at least,
joined forces with Homer and Dave Overstreet against Pete, but he could
hear none of the arguments.

"You're wrong, Pete. We're playin' safe. That's all. My notion is this
guy's tellin' the truth. There's only one thing to do. I don't reckon
any of us want him to go back to town. But if we do anything with him
here, the Rangers are liable to find his body. Oncet up in the cap-rock
we can dry-gulch him."

The older Dinsmore gave way with an oath. "All right. Have yore own way,
boys. Majority rules. We'll postpone this discussion till later."

Gurley brought the horses. Arthur was mounted behind him, his feet tied
beneath the belly of the horse. The rustlers rode in pairs, Homer
Dinsmore and Overstreet in the rear.

"What makes you think this fellow has friends near, Homer?" asked his
companion.

"He doesn't know enough to ride alone. But I don't care whether he's
alone or not. I'm not goin' to have the boy killed. He stood by me on
the island to a finish. Of course that wouldn't go with Steve an' Pete,
so I put it on the other ground."

"Want to turn him loose, do you?"

"I'd swea