rth from where I
branded my calf. If anybody had been there making tracks--those cattle
would blot 'em out." Johnny began to laugh. "Look, _amigo_--all this
dope seems fairly reasonable and nightmareish, turn about, as we see
it across thirty miles and twenty-four hours--but it is a safe guess
that some folks didn't sleep much last night. They know all about it,
and I reckon when they got to thinking it over it seemed to them like
the whole story was printed in letters a mile high. Scared? I guess
yes. I'd hate to trade places with 'em right now. And before it
rained--oh, mamma! I bet they was tickled to see that rain! Well, go
on. Proceed. Give us some more."

"The further I go the less you'll like it," said Lull. "Pete and
his hand-picked posse stayed up there and scattered out at daylight,
for general results. They found one of Adam's cows with a big
fresh-branded calf--branded yesterday. Dines, you're up against
it--hard! It's going to look black to any jury. That calf carried your
brand--T-Tumble-T!"

"'Hellfire and damnation--make my bed soon!'" said Johnny. "The boy
stood on the burning deck, With neither high nor low! The Sons of
Zeruiah!... Ho, warder! Pull up the drawstring! Let the portcrayon
fall! Melt down the largess, fling out the pendulum to the breeze, and
howl the battle cry of Dines!"

Hobby's gaunt features relaxed to a laugh.

"You silly ass! And the rope on your very neck! And what is the battle
cry of Dines, if I may ask?"

"Only two out!" said Johnny Dines. He flung up his head; his hawk's
face was beautiful.

"Good boy!" said Hobby Lull. "Good boy! You never shot Adam
Forbes--not in the back. You hold your mouth right. It isn't so bad,
Dines. I wanted to see how you'd take it. I know you now. There's more
to come. You live a long way from here, with roughs and the river
between. We've never seen any of your cattle. But we looked you up in
the brand book. Your earmark is sharp the right, underslope the left.
That yearling's ears are marked sharp the left, underslope the right.

"Yes. And I knew that without looking at the brand book," said Johnny.
"They've overplayed their hand. Any more?"

"One thing more. Nothing to put before a jury--but it fits with a
frame-up. This morning, Uncle Pete scouted round beyond where they
quit the trail at dark. He found locations where Weir and Caney and
Hales struck rich placer yesterday. A big thing--coarse gold. It was
natural enough that they didn'