outlaw had been zealous in nosing out those citizens whose property
was assessable, how he had safeguarded the county's money, then the
sheriff saw how he had on his force one whom he could use to good
account.

Other officials were unable to carry the law into no-man's-land; but
he had, thenceforth, at least an envoy. And he knew that there would
be times when diplomatic representation was going to come in very
handy.

From that day on, when anything came up in the Sulphur Springs valley
or in the San Simon, Billy Breckenbridge was despatched to attend to
the matter. Time and again he made the journey until the cow-men in
the lowlands came to know his face well; until the sight of a deputy
sheriff's star was no longer an unwonted spectacle in Galeyville. And
as the months went by he enlarged the list of his acquaintances among
the outlaws.

But his errands were for the most part concerned with civil matters.
Now and again there was a warrant for stock-rustling, but the rustlers
carried on their business in the open at that time and there were few
who dared to testify against them. Bail was always arranged by the
accommodating cattle-buyer at Galeyville, so that such arrests
invariably turned out to be amicable affairs.

Among those who were sitting back and waiting for the big show-down
there was a little stir of anticipation when young Breckenbridge rode
forth armed with a warrant for John Ringo. For Ringo was a bad man of
larger caliber than even Curly Bill. He was the brains of the outlaws,
and the warrant charged highway robbery.

But the thrill died away when the deputy came riding back with his
man; and there was something like disgust among the waiting ones when
it was learned that the prisoner had stayed behind in Galeyville to
arrange some of his affairs and had ridden hard to catch up with his
captor at the Sulphur Springs ranch.

Anticipation flamed again a little later and it looked as if there was
good reason for it. For this time it was a stolen horse and
Breckenbridge had set forth to recover the animal. A rustler might be
willing to go through the formalities of giving bail at the county
court-house, or even to stand trial, but when it came to turning over
stolen property--and doing it without a struggle--that was another
matter. Moreover, this horse, which had been taken from the Contention
Mine, was a thoroughbred, valued high and coveted by many a man.
There was good ground for believing that