by themselves.
Fadeaway's got his, which was comin' to him this long time. That's
nothin' to me. What I want to see is Jack Corliss's gun."

Bud Shoop stepped into the ranch-house and presently returned with the
Coitus. "Here she is. Take a look."

The old sheep-man swung out the cylinder and pointed with a gnarled and
horny finger. The men closed in and gazed in silence. One of the
shells was empty.

Loring handed the gun to Shoop. "I'll ask Jack," said the foreman.
When he returned to the group he was unusually grave. "Says he plugged
a coyote this mornin'."

Loring's seamed and weathered face was expressionless. "Well, he did a
good job, if I do say it," he remarked, as though to himself.

"Which?" queried Shoop.

"I don't say," replied Loring. "I'm lettin' the evidence do the
talkin'."

"Well, you'll hear her holler before we get through!" asserted the
irrepressible Bud. "Fade, mebby, wa'n't no lady's man, but he had
sand. He was a puncher from the ground up, and we ain't forgettin'
that!"

"And I ain't forgettin' them five hundred sheep." Loring reined
around. "And you're goin' to hear from me right soon. I reckon they's
law in this country."

"Let her come!" retorted Shoop. "We'll all be here!"

CHAPTER XVI

SUNDOWN ADVENTURES

By dint of perilous scrambling Sundown managed to keep within sight of
Chance, who had picked up Fernando's tracks leading from the
cottonwoods. The dog leaped over rocks and trotted along the levels,
sniffing until he came to the rift in the canon wall down which the
herder had toiled on his grewsome errand. Chance climbed the sharp
ascent with clawing reaches of his powerful forelegs and quick thrusts
of his muscular haunches. Sundown followed as best he could. He was
keyed to the strenuous task by that spurious by-product of anticipation
frequently termed a "hunch."

When the dog at last reached the edge of the timber and dashed into
Fernando's deserted camp, Sundown was puzzled until he happened to
recall the incidents leading to Fadeaway's discharge from the Concho.
He reclined beneath a tree familiar to him as a former basis for
recuperation. He felt of himself reminiscently while watching Chance
nose about the camp. Presently the dog came and, squatting on his
haunches, faced his master with the query, "What next?" scintillating
in his glowing eyes.

"I dunno," replied Sundown. "You see, pardner, this here's Fernando's
camp all right