distant rise and
loped to the rendezvous. Larkin reasoned that these must be the men who
continued the cattle drive after Joe and Pike had captured him.

The sheepman could not but admire the natural advantages of the place
chosen by his captors for the meeting. Rolling hills surrounded the little
pocket on all sides, and here and there a red scoria butte thrust its ugly
height out of the plain. The chances of discovery were infinitesimal.

The evolution of the rustler was logical but rapid, and started with the
general law that any ranch-owner was at liberty to brand with his mark any
maverick found on his range. As it was the cowboy who discovered these
strays, he was usually provided with a branding-iron and put the seal of
his employer on the animal wherever found.

From this it was but a step for unscrupulous punchers, or those with a
shrewd eye for business, to drive off unbranded cattle and ship them
independently to market, or to mark them with a private brand of their
own. All this was before the introduction of brand inspectors at the
stockyards of Omaha, Kansas City, or Chicago.

Therefore, among the men at this rendezvous Larkin noted types of cowmen
equal to any on the range for horsemanship and ability to handle cattle.
With his naturally quick eye, the sheepman observed them closely, but
failed to recognize any of them.

His case came up quickly.

By various papers in his possession he proved his identity.

"What were you doing out on the range last night?" asked Joe.

Bud hesitated for a minute and then, deciding that his safest and quickest
course would be to make a clean breast of things, replied:

"I was driving two thousand head of sheep north on the Bar T."

"Then you're not a cattleman?"

"No." Larkin produced his bills of sale for the sheep and these were
handed gravely about from one to another, although it was certain that
some of the men could not read them.

"How long are you going to stay in this country?"

"Just as long as it takes to get my sheep north. I come from Montana."

Joe beckoned a number of the men aside out of Larkin's hearing.

"We're plumb lucky," he announced. "If I know my book, old Bissell will
forget all about a few missin' calves when he knows this feller has sent
sheep up his range. Now we've got to run off about a hundred more head to
that railroad camp north of here, and I think we can use this Larkin."

A dark, sullen-looking puncher shook his head slo