hough perhaps at more labor, by keeping to the ridges and
leaving the open valley and little flats to the ranchers. Formerly
there had been room enough for all; now the grazing ranges were being
encroached upon by sheepmen newly come to the Tonto. To Blaisdell's
way of thinking the rustler menace was more serious than the
sheeping-off of the range, for the simple reason that no cattleman knew
exactly who the rustlers were and for the more complex and significant
reason that the rustlers did not steal sheep.

"Texas was overstocked with bad men an' fine steers," concluded
Blaisdell. "Most of the first an' some of the last have struck the
Tonto. The sheepmen have now got distributin' points for wool an'
sheep at Maricopa an' Phoenix. They're shore waxin' strong an' bold."

"Ahuh! ... An' what's likely to come of this mess?" queried Jean.

"Ask your dad," replied Blaisdell.

"I will. But I reckon I'd be obliged for your opinion."

"Wal, short an' sweet it's this: Texas cattlemen will never allow the
range they stocked to be overrun by sheepmen."

"Who's this man Greaves?" went on Jean. "Never run into anyone like
him."

"Greaves is hard to figure. He's a snaky customer in deals. But he
seems to be good to the poor people 'round heah. Says he's from
Missouri. Ha-ha! He's as much Texan as I am. He rode into the Tonto
without even a pack to his name. An' presently he builds his stone
house an' freights supplies in from Phoenix. Appears to buy an' sell a
good deal of stock. For a while it looked like he was steerin' a
middle course between cattlemen an' sheepmen. Both sides made a
rendezvous of his store, where he heard the grievances of each. Laterly
he's leanin' to the sheepmen. Nobody has accused him of that yet. But
it's time some cattleman called his bluff."

"Of course there are honest an' square sheepmen in the Basin?" queried
Jean.

"Yes, an' some of them are not unreasonable. But the new fellows that
dropped in on us the last few year--they're the ones we're goin' to
clash with."

"This--sheepman, Jorth?" went on Jean, in slow hesitation, as if
compelled to ask what he would rather not learn.

"Jorth must be the leader of this sheep faction that's harryin' us
ranchers. He doesn't make threats or roar around like some of them.
But he goes on raisin' an' buyin' more an' more sheep. An' his herders
have been grazin' down all around us this winter. Jorth's got to be
reckoned with."