les below. At such times the youth knew he
had not yet reached the land his heart desired. All this was only
resting by the way.

At such times, too, in spite of all, he thought of Mary and of Jack;
they alone formed his attachments to the East. All else was valueless.
To have had them with him in this land would have put his heart entirely
at rest.

CHAPTER IX

WAR ON THE CANNON BALL

The autumn was very dry, and as the feed grew short on his side of the
Cannon Ball, Delmar said to his boss herder, "Drive the herd over the
trail, keeping as close to the boundary as you can. The valley through
which the road runs will keep us till November, I reckon."

Of this Mose knew nothing, and when he saw the sheep drifting across the
line he set forth to turn them. The herder shouted, "Hold on, Mose; let
'em go."

Mose did as he was ordered, but looked around nervously, expecting a
charge of cattlemen. Delmar laughed. "Don't worry; they won't make any
trouble."

A couple of days later a squad of cowboys came riding furiously over the
hill. "See here!" they called to Mose, "you turn that stinkin' river of
sheep back over the line."

Mose shouted a reply: "I'm not the boss; go talk to him. And, say! you'd
better change your tune when you whistle into his ear."

"Oh, hell!" said one contemptuously. "It's that tenderfoot of Pratt's."
They rode to the older herder, who laughed at them. "Settle with the
'old man,'" he said. "I'm under orders to feed these sheep and I'm goin'
to do it."

"You take them sheep back on your range or you won't have any to feed,"
said one of the cowboys.

The herder blew a whiff from his lips as if blowing away thistle down.
"Run away, little ones, you disturb my siesta."

With blistering curses on him and his sheep, the cowboys rode to the top
of the hill, and there, turning, fired twice at the herder, wounding him
in the arm. The Mexican returned the fire, but to no effect.

When Mose reported this, Delmar's eyebrows drew down over his hawklike
eyes. "That's all right," he said ominously. "If they want war they'll
get it."

A few days later he rode over toward the Circle Bar Ranch house. On the
way he overtook Williams, riding along alone. Williams did not hear
Delmar till he called sharply, "Throw up your hands."

Williams quickly complied. "Don't shoot--for God's sake!" he called,
with his hands quivering above his head. He had heard of Delmar's skill
with weapons.

"Mr. Wi