is right, he detected a small patch of
scrub and spruce, and, without a second thought, he made for it.

A minute later he was out of the saddle beside his horse, screened from
view of the plains by a belt of bush. He secured his horse and moved
to the fringe of his shelter. Here he took up a position facing south,
and his view of the plains beyond became uninterrupted.

He knew what was coming. Instinct warned him. Perhaps even it was the
wish fathering his belief. He felt it was a certainty that the
rustlers were out pursuing their depredations with their customary
unchallenged daring. Who, he wondered, was the present victim, and
what was the extent of the raid?

He had not long to wait. The sound grew. It lost its distant
continuity and became broken into the distinct hoof beats of large
numbers. Furthermore, by the sound of it, they would pass right across
his front. He had been wise in seeking cover. Had he remained----

But speculation gave way before the interest of movement. Now the
silhouette of the sky-line was dancing before his eyes. In the
moonlight he could clearly make out the passing of a driven herd. It
came on, losing itself in the shadows of a distant trough. Again it
appeared. More distinct now. He whistled under his breath. They were
coming from the direction of Dug McFarlane's and it was a large herd.
They were traveling northwest, which would cut into the hills away to
the north of his homestead. They----

But they were almost abreast of him now, and he heard the voices of men
urging and cursing. Lower he dropped toward the earth the better to
ascertain the numbers. But his estimate was uncertain. There were
moments when the herd looked very large. There were moments when it
looked less. He felt that a conservative estimate would be one hundred
perhaps, and some eight or ten men driving them.

They were gone as they had come, lumbering rapidly, and as they passed
northward the southern breeze carried the sound away. It died out
quickly, and for minutes longer than was needed he stood listening,
listening. Then, at last, he turned back to his horse.

In the two years of his sojourn on the land it was the first time he
had witnessed the operation of the Lightfoot gang, and it left a deep
impression upon his mind. A great resentment rose up in him. It was
the natural temper of a man who is concerned, in however small a
degree, in the cattle industry. And his anger