o with me and show me where those
water gates are. I'm going to have water or fight. They wouldn't
shoot a woman."

"Oh, wouldn't they?" said Noah. "That shows how naturally scarce of
information you are.

"No," said the hill billy determinedly but with a current of tenderness
in his tone, "you ain't goin' to the water gates; you are goin' back to
your ranch. You are just naturally sweet enough to gentle a horse, but
you ain't cut out to fight Mexicans."

She had turned her horse round and was riding beside him back toward
her ranch.

"Now, listen here," said Noah as he saw signs of rebellion in the swing
of her body and the grip on her revolver, "you go home and get your dad
and your Chinaman ready. There's goin' to be water in them ditches
before daylight or there will be one less hill billy in this vale of
tears."

During these fervid days Noah Ezekiel had not been asleep, although
much of the time he looked as though he were on the verge of it. He
had had his eye on both ranches--the Chandlers' and the Red Butte.
Twice he had cautiously reconnoitred the full length of the water
ditches.

At a point on the Valley Irrigation Company's big canal, about seven
miles below the intake from the Colorado River, two diverting ditches
branched off; the larger of these furnished the main water supply of
the Mexican side of the valley, the smaller was the Dillenbeck system.

At these gates the Valley Company kept water keepers and guards day and
night. As the Dillenbeck Company were merely private consumers, water
was turned into this canal only on their orders, and charged for by the
thousand feet.

Four miles below where this canal began to branch to the various
ranches it supplied was the Dillenbeck water station. It was the
keeper in charge here who ordered water from the main canal and who
opened the sluice gates and apportioned it to the various ranches.

Noah Ezekiel on his reconnoitring discovered two things: The night
water keeper had been reenforced by a Mexican guard; and besides
Madrigal, the Mexican Jew, usually spent the night with these two.
Expecting trouble, a company of twenty Mexican special guards was
camped a quarter of a mile down the canal, in easy calling distance.
These guards, while authorized by the comandante, were hired and paid
by Reedy Jenkins. It was their duty to patrol the canal above and
below by the main water gates and be ready at all times to repulse any
threatened atta