has been rustled lately is right here before us.'
Kirby's voice was thin. 'I can't seem to think, Josh. I guess I suspected that we'd find something like this, but now we know for sure…' His voice fell almost to a whisper. 'What's our next move?'
'We'll ride, son. No use hanging around here.' He thought for a moment. 'Guess this is a hanging matter, at that.'
They made no further attempt at conversation until they had crossed the ford and were back on Wagon. Finally Josh broke the long silence. 'Way I see it, Kirby, Dawes has to be mixed up in this. There must be a way out of that meadow we don't know about. I can see how easy it would be to haze a few stolen critters at a time across Lazy B without anyone gettin' wise. But they couldn't drive a herd that size back across Lazy B without somebody askin' questions.' The old foreman shook his head in puzzlement.
'You're saying, then, that somewhere in that meadow is a gap we don't know about… a gap that leads into Dawes' range.' Kirby sounded doubtful. 'I can see that would be an easy way to get rid of the herd… by driving 'em through Dawes spread and on out of the country. But, man, we've both known about that meadow for years. There isn't but one entrance…you know that.'
'Has to be another, Kirby. There just has to be a hidden hole somewhere. I've been thinking. If you remember, there's a small creek cuts down from Dawes' spread and across the top of the meadow, and then on down one side to the Clear? It's dry most of the time. Only time it has much water in it is when there's a runoff after a big rain in the hills. Well, I'm betting that the rustlers have discovered a way to drive a herd out of the meadow by way of that creek bed. That has to be the answer. There just ain't no other way.'
Kirby nodded in somewhat dubious agreement. 'That has to be the answer. But we'll have to be sure. Men are going to hang because of what we found tonight, and we want to be sure that we have the right ones.' His voice broke into something very like a sob. 'Josh… I've got to hang my own brother! Maybe I won't actually pull on the rope, but when what we found tonight gets out, it'll be the same as if I'd whipped his horse out from under him and left him dangling in the air.' He beat his clenched fist against the saddlehorn in an agony of despair.
Josh, too, was wracked by the horror of what had to be. 'Remember, until just recent Bill was as much like a son to me as you are. But we can't shirk our duty, boy, if we want to live with ourselves. I've been thinking about tipping Bill off and givin' him a chance to ride out of the country. But I know that's the last thing old Muddy would have wanted me to do.'
In mute misery they rode back to Wagon, each man weighed down by the burden of his knowledge… each knowing that not to disclose what they had discovered would make them as guilty as the men who had stolen the beef. As they unsaddled their ponies, Kirby said, 'I've been thinking, Josh. We'd better tell the sheriff what we know. From there on he can handle it, and we may not even have to be in on the end.'
Josh grunted in acknowledgement of Kirby's logic. But as he stalked off to the bunkhouse without another word, he knew that they would have to see the trouble through, no matter what happened.
They were waiting, their horses tied to the hitch rail in front of the sheriff's office, the next morning when the salty old law dog appeared. One look at their faces told him that big trouble was afoot. He fumbled for a moment with the lock on his office door, then swung it open and waited while they stepped in.
Lon sighed as he indicated a couple of dusty chairs and seated himself behind his cluttered desk. 'Who have you killed now, men? Guess you wouldn't be here unless it was somethin' serious.'
'It is serious, Lon.' Kirby talked. He told about their missing beef, about the other cows that had been rustled, and how their suspicions had led them to the Lazy B meadow. The sheriff's eyes hardened as he finished.
'So I guess you'd better ride out there with us and look over the ground. Like I say, we don't want to implicate anyone without proof, but we're almost sure the answer lies in Hub Dawes' spread.'
The sheriff gave the sigh that was as characteristic of him as the worn Frontier Colt in its sagging holster. 'No, if you don't mind, boys, I'll have a look by myself. If too many of us ride out together, someone might get wise. Wait till I saddle my bronc, and I'll ride with you as far as Wagon. From there on, I'd like to scout around on my lonesome.' The sheriff went for his horse. 'I'll have to tell the old lady where I'm goin',' he told them when he rode up to where they were waiting at the hitch rail. 'Won't take but a minute.' The sheriff went into his house. His wife followed him to the door and greeted Kirby and Josh pleasantly, but her eyes, too, were worried. Reckon he told her about Bill, thought Kirby, as they headed for Wagon.
Peters left them on the river trail, again refusing their offer to ride with him. 'You fellers wait here,' he said. 'I'll snoop around a little and come by here on my way back to town.'
It was late in the evening before he returned. For both Josh and Kirby the wait had been interminable. They had tried to busy themselves with ranch work, but they found their minds weren't on what they were doing. They were sitting on the ranchhouse porch in glum silence when Lon got down from his horse and shambled up to the steps.
He sighed. 'You were right, fellers, all the way. There's a heap of cows in that meadow, none of 'em wearin' the Lazy B burn. I scouted the crick you told me about, and it does open up on Dawes' place. There's a place or two where only a couple of critters could get through at a time, but that's the rustler's trail without a doubt. From the sign, I'd say it has been used just recent.' He blew out a gusty breath. 'Didn't spot a soul today… don't think no one saw me. Them fellers is danged sure nobody will find them cows; so danged sure that they're likely to pay with their lives.'
Josh asked: 'What do you plan to do, Lon?' The sheriff's voice was tired. 'Nothin', tonight. Tomorrow I'll have to get together a posse. The ranches that have been losin' stuff will have to be in on this. Sure hope I can keep things from gettin' out of hand, but this range don't hold with jailin' rustlers. I'll do what I can. See you first thing tomorrow in town.' He ambled back to his horse and disappeared into the gathering dusk.
Long before daylight the next morning, Wagon was abuzz with activity. Every member of the crew was saddled and waiting long before Kirby and Josh were ready to lead their men to join the sheriff's posse. Two of the grimmest punchers on the spread were the two men Josh had chosen to stay at Wagon. Even when he promised them extra time off, they still threatened to draw their time because they had to stay behind and would miss the forthcoming battle. Kirby placated them with the warning that the battle could easily fall back to Wagon, and their position as guards was an important one.
The foreman had seen to it that each man carried a Winchester in addition to his sidearms, and that each carried extra ammunition in his saddlebag. Once again he stopped them as they were about to hit leather.
'Don't want to hurt anyone's feelings,' he told them, 'but I've got to tell you that I'm asking no man to make this ride. Anyone feels this is not his chore is welcome to stay here at Wagon.' He tried a wry grin that didn't come off. 'Didn't think I'd have any takers. Just didn't want your death or injury on my conscience. Let's ride.'
Maria and Manuel watched from the kitchen door, fear on their faces, as the grimly silent group of horsemen left the yard.
Josh held up his hand to catch Kirby's attention, his words lost in the thunder of hoofbeats. He pointed up the trail ahead, and Kirby, following his pointing hand, discovered the dust that told of a rider coming toward them as if a pack of prairie wolves were nipping his horse's heels. They could see a mass of glowing red-brown hair fallen loose and blowing in the wind. The rider pelting toward them in mad flight was Jen.
Kirby halted his party with an upflung arm and watched with anxiety as she slid the sorrel back on his haunches in a shower of dust and rocks.
'Thank heaven I found you,' she cried, sliding from her heaving horse. Kirby swung to the ground, and she flew into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was trembling in every muscle.
'It's Bill,' she sobbed. 'I've done an awful thing, I've killed your brother.'
Kirby tried to stop the flow of incoherent words, but hysteria was having its way. He pulled off his gloves and slapped her face in a stinging blow with his bare hand.
'Oh,' she cried, stepping back and staring at him. As she held her hand to her stinging cheek, sanity returned. 'I'll have to talk fast; there isn't much time. Sheriff Peters' wife told me yesterday about what you and Josh found on Lazy B, and how Lon had ridden out there to check up. She said your face looked like that of a man condemned. I couldn't sleep all night, thinking about it, and I was up before daylight. About an hour ago I heard a rider out on the street and wondered who could be out so early. It was Bill, riding home from Galeyville. He had been drinking all night.'
'Before I knew what I was doing, I called him and warned him that he'd better get out of the country. I told
