kon we'll
ride over to the rancho and see if Loring wants any more of it."

Silently the rancher and his men rode toward the water-hole. As they
drew near the line fence, the Mexican riders, swinging in a wide
circle, spurred to head them off.

"Hold on!" shouted Corliss. "We'll pull up and wait for 'em."

"Suits me," said Wingle, loosening his gun from the holster.

The Mexicans, led by Loring, loped up and reined with a slither of
hoofs and the snorting of excited ponies. Corliss held up his hand.
Loring spurred forward and Corliss rode to meet him.

"Want any more of it?" queried Corliss.

"I'll take all you got," snarled Loring.

"All right. Just listen a minute." And Corliss reached in his
saddle-pocket. "Here's a lease from the Government covering the ten
sections adjoining the water-hole ranch, on the south and west. And
here's a contract with the owner of the water-hole, signed and
witnessed, for the use of the water for my stock. You're playing an
old-fashioned game, Loring, that's out of date. Want to look over
these papers?"

"To hell with your papers. I'm here and I'm goin' to stay."

"Well, we'll visit you regular," shouted a puncher.

"Better come over to the house and talk things over," said Corliss. "I
don't want trouble with you--but my boys do."

Loring hesitated. One of his men, spurring up, whispered to him.

Wingle, keenly alert, restrained a cowboy who was edging forward.
"Don't start nothin'," he said. "If she's goin' to start, she'll start
herself."

Loring turned to Corliss. "I'd like to look at them papers," he said
slowly.

"All right. We'll ride over to the house."

The two bands of riders swung toward the north, passed the tank, and
trotted up to the ranch-gate. They dismounted and were met by Shoop
and his companions. Loring blinked and muttered. He had been
outgeneraled. One of the Concho riders laughed. Loring's hand slipped
to his belt. "Don't," said Corliss easily. The tension relaxed, and
the men began joking and laughing.

"Where's Sundown?" queried Corliss.

Loring gestured toward the house.

"I'll go," said Wingle. And he shouldered through the group of
scowling herders and entered the house.

Sundown, with hands tied, was sitting on the edge of his bed. "They
roped me," he said lugubriously, "in me own house. Bud he was goin' to
untie me, but I says for the love of Mike leave me tied or I'll take a
chair and brain that Chola what ki