s smartly
with his quirt. By all the gods he knew by name he called upon the
offender to come forth, while the others drew up in a rude half-circle
to await developments. Heavy silence was the reply he got. It was as
though the men within were sitting tense and watchful, like cougars
crouched for a spring, with claws unsheathed and muscles quivering.

"You better come out," called Andy sharply, after they had waited a
decent interval. "We didn't come here hunting trouble; we want to know
where you're headed for with these sheep. The fellow that cut loose with
the gun--"

"Aw, don't talk so purty! I'm gitting almighty tired, just setting here
lettin' m' legs hang down. Git your ropes, boys!" With one sweeping
gesture of his arm Big Medicine made plain his meaning as he rode a few
paces away, his fingers fumbling with the string that held his rope.
"I'm goin' to have a look at 'em, anyway," he grinned. "I sure do hate
to see men act so bashful."

With his rope free and ready for action, Big Medicine shook the loop
out, glanced around, and saw that Andy, Pink and Cal Emmett were also
ready, and, with a dexterous flip, settled the noose neatly over the
iron pin that thrust up through the end of the ridge-pole in front.
Andy's loop sank neatly over it a second later, and the two wheeled and
dashed away together, with Pink and Irish duplicating their performance
at the other end of the tent. The dingy, smoke-stained canvas swayed,
toppled, as the pegs gave way, and finally lay flat upon the prairie
fifty feet from where it had stood, leaving the inmates exposed to the
cruel stare of eight unfriendly cowpunchers. Four cowering figures they
were, with guns in their hands that shook.

"Drop them guns!" thundered Big Medicine, flipping his rope loose and
recoiling it mechanically as he plunged up to the group.

One man obeyed. One gave a squawk of terror and permitted his gun to go
off at random before he fled toward the coulee. The other two crouched
behind their bed-rolls, set their jaws doggedly and glared defiance.

Pink, Andy, Irish, Big Medicine and the Native Son slid off their horses
and made a rush at them. A rifle barked viciously, and Slim, sitting
prudently on his horse well in the rear, gave a yell and started for
home at a rapid pace.

Considering the provocation the Happy Family behaved with quite
praiseworthy self-control and leniency. They did not lynch those two
herders. They did not kill them, either by