tomers under the circumstances, absent-mindedly wiped oil on the bar,
and sought his chair for a nap, grumbling about the way his trade had
fallen off, for there were few customers, and those who did call were
heavy with loss of sleep, and with anxiety, and only paused long enough
to toss off their drink. On the ranges there were occurrences which
tried men's souls.

For several weeks cattle had been disappearing from the ranges and the
losses had long since passed the magnitude of those suffered when Tamale
Jose and his men had crossed the Rio Grande and repeatedly levied heavy
toll on the sleek herds of the Pecos Valley. Tamale Jose had raided once
too often, and prosperity and plenty had followed on the ranches and the
losses had been forgotten until the fall round-ups clearly showed that
rustlers were again at work.

Despite the ingenuity of the ranch owners and the unceasing vigilance
and night rides of the cow-punchers, the losses steadily increased until
there was promised a shortage which would permit no drive to the western
terminals of the railroad that year. For two weeks the banks of the Rio
Grande had been patrolled and sharp-eyed men searched daily for trails
leading southward, for it was not strange to think that the old raiders
were again at work, notwithstanding the fact that they had paid dearly
for their former depredations.

The patrols failed to discover anything out of the ordinary and the
searchers found no trails. Then it was that the owners and foremen of
the four central ranches met in Cowan's saloon and sat closeted together
for all of one hot afternoon.

The conference resulted in riders being dispatched from all the ranches
represented, and one of the couriers, Mr. Red Connors, rode north, his
destination being far-away Montana. All the ranches within a radius of
a hundred miles received letters and blanks and one week later the Pecos
Valley Cattle-Thief Elimination Association was organized and working,
with Buck as Chief Ranger.

One of the outcomes of Buck's appointment was a sudden and marked
immigration into the affected territory. Mr. Connors returned from
Montana with Mr. Frenchy McAllister, the foreman of the Tin-Cup, who was
accompanied by six of his best and most trusted men. Mr. McAllister and
party were followed by Mr. You-bet Somes, foreman of the Two-X-Two of
Arizona, and five of his punchers, and later on the same day Mr. Pie
Willis, accompanied by Mr. Billy Jordan and hi