?" the Texan laughed.

The other opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. He was looking The
Kid up and down.

"Come to think about it," he muttered, "we've never seen you before.
And yuh don't look like one o' that rustler gang."

"Take my word fo' it," said the Texan earnestly, "I'm not. I thought
yo' were Blacksnake and his gang myself." He reholstered his guns.
"Put yo' hands down," he said, as he came toward them, "and we'll talk
this thing ovah."

Reassured, the trio did so with sighs of relief. A few questions by
each helped to clear things up. The Kid told them who he was, and in
return he was told that the three were members of the Diamond D outfit.

"It's just half an outfit now," said the red-haired youth bitterly.
"They've run off our north herd. Yuh see, Mr. Wolf----"

"Just call me 'Kid,'" smiled the Texan, "fo' I think we'll be friends."

"I hope so," said the other, flashing him a grateful look. "Well, I'm
'Red' Morton. My brother and me own the Diamond D, and we've shore
been havin' one hot time. Guess we're plumb beat."

"Wheah's yo' brother now?"

"He's at the sod house with our south herd. These two men are the only
punchers left me--'Lefty' Warren and Mike Train. There was one more.
The rustlers shot him." Red Morton's eyes gleamed fiercely.

"Yo' know who the rustlers were?"

"Blacksnake McCoy's gang. He's been causin' us a lot o' trouble.
Until now, that bunch have just been runnin' a smooth iron and swingin'
their loops wide. But yesterday they drove off every steer. Half of
all the longhorns on the Diamond D!" Red's lips tightened grimly.

"Excuse us," spoke up one of the cowboys, Lefty Warren, "for takin' yuh
fer one o' them cutthroats, but we was b'ilin' mad. It's a good thing
fer us yuh wasn't. Yuh shore slipped in on us slick as a whistle."

"I'm hopin' my bud, Joe, don't think it was my fault that Blacksnake
got away with the herd," groaned the red-haired youth. "Reckon we'll
have to sell out now."

"That's it," agreed the eldest of the trio--the man called Mike Train.
"The Diamond D would be on Easy Street now, if we had the cattle back.
The mortgage----"

"Who would yo' sell to?" asked The Kid quietly.

"Gentleman John, the cattle king," explained Red Morton. "He told my
brother some time ago that he'd like to buy it, if the price was low.
Joe refused then, but reckon it'll be different now."

Kid Wolf raised his brows slightly.

"Is this--ah--Gen