were unleashed and rampant, directed by a
reasoning intelligence. His voice was hoarse and rasping, coming in
jerks:

"Get out of the way, Sanderson! Stand aside! I'll take care of these
whelps! Get your hands up, Dale! Higher--higher! You damned,
sneaking vulture! Come here to make trouble, eh? You and your bunch
of curs! I'll take care of you! Move--one of you! Move a finger!
You won't! Then go! Go! I'll count three! The man that isn't going
when I finish counting gets his quick! One--two----"

"Wait!! Already on the move, the men halted at the sound of his voice.
The violence of the passion that gripped him gave him a new thought.

"You don't go!" he jeered at them. "You stay here. Sanderson, you
take their guns! Grab them yourself!"

Sanderson drew his own weapon and moved rapidly among the men. He got
Dale's gun first and threw it in the sand at the edge of the porch.
Then he disarmed the others, one after another, throwing the weapons
near where he had thrown Dale's.

He heard Owen tell Mary Bransford to get them, and he saw Mary
gathering them up and taking them into the house.

Sanderson made his search of the men thorough, for he had caught the
spirit of the thing. At last, when the guns were all collected, Owen
issued another order:

"Now turn your backs--every last man of you! And stay that way! The
man that turns his head will never do it again!

"Sanderson, you go after Williams and the others. They've only been
gone about an hour, and they won't travel fast. Get them! Bring them
back here. Then we'll take the whole bunch over to Okar and see what
Judge Graney has to say about that warrant!"

Sanderson looked at Mary Bransford, a huge grin on his face. She
smiled stiffly at him in return, and nodded her head.

Seemingly, it was the only way out of a bad predicament. Certainly
they could not commit wholesale murder, and it was equally certain that
if Dale was permitted to go, he and his men would return. Or they
might retire to a distance, surround the house and thus achieve their
aim.

Sanderson, however, was not satisfied, for he knew that a sudden,
concerted rush by the men--even though they were unarmed--would result
disastrously to Owen--and to Mary--if she decided to remain.

Telling the little man to keep a watchful eye on the men, he went among
them, ordering those that were mounted from their horses. When they
were all standing, he began to uncoil the