rs explained that they had come up from Bonneville the night
before, as the Executive Committee of the League had received a despatch
from the lawyers it had retained to fight the Railroad, that the judge
of the court in San Francisco, where the test cases were being tried,
might be expected to hand down his decision the next day.

Very soon after the announcement of the new grading of the ranchers'
lands, the corporation had offered, through S. Behrman, to lease the
disputed lands to the ranchers at a nominal figure. The offer had been
angrily rejected, and the Railroad had put up the lands for sale at
Ruggles's office in Bonneville. At the exorbitant price named, buyers
promptly appeared--dummy buyers, beyond shadow of doubt, acting either
for the Railroad or for S. Behrman--men hitherto unknown in the county,
men without property, without money, adventurers, heelers. Prominent
among them, and bidding for the railroad's holdings included on
Annixter's ranch, was Delaney.

The farce of deeding the corporation's sections to these fictitious
purchasers was solemnly gone through with at Ruggles's office, the
Railroad guaranteeing them possession. The League refused to allow the
supposed buyers to come upon the land, and the Railroad, faithful to
its pledge in the matter of guaranteeing its dummies possession, at once
began suits in ejectment in the district court in Visalia, the county
seat.

It was the preliminary skirmish, the reconnaisance in force, the
combatants feeling each other's strength, willing to proceed with
caution, postponing the actual death-grip for a while till each had
strengthened its position and organised its forces.

During the time the cases were on trial at Visalia, S. Behrman was much
in evidence in and about the courts. The trial itself, after tedious
preliminaries, was brief. The ranchers lost. The test cases were
immediately carried up to the United States Circuit Court in San
Francisco. At the moment the decision of this court was pending.

"Why, this is news," exclaimed Lyman, in response to the Governor's
announcement; "I did not expect them to be so prompt. I was in court
only last week and there seemed to be no end of business ahead. I
suppose you are very anxious?"

Magnus nodded. He had seated himself in one of Lyman's deep chairs, his
grey top-hat, with its wide brim, on the floor beside him. His coat of
black broad-cloth that had been tightly packed in his valise, was yet
wrink