wagons drawn up in front of Shanty Town and
called down a curse upon the heads of the sleeping revellers.

"Just see there!" he exclaimed. "Some vermin got wind of the paymaster's
coming and are here to fleece the men."

A lieutenant sauntered up, putting out his hand for the glasses. "There
wasn't a soul in those huts yesterday," he said.

"No, of course not," sputtered the other. "The devils stayed at Clark's
till the punchers got back from Kansas City. Now, they're on hand to
keep our guard-house and hospital full. By gad! if I commanded here, I'd
have the whole street fired."

"Well," said the lieutenant, "the men have a way of disciplining that
kind, themselves. Some day, when a favourite is cut in a brawl or
cheated at cards, they'll shoot up the place. If there's anything left,
it'll move on."

"It won't do any harm to keep an eye on Shanty Town, all the same,"
declared his companion, fiercely. "Remember the man that ran it last
year? Slick, by gad! Why, the paymaster might just as well have stopped
over there--he and his ilk got every cent! He wasn't a 'bad' man, mind
you--not brave enough for that, but keen-nosed as a moose, conceited as
an Indian----"

"What was his name?"

"Oh, Dick or Vic Something-or-other, I don't know what. He's a bragging
renegade, anyway."

Unaware of a reconnoitre, the occupants of the line of shanties
slumbered serenely on; and not until noon did high plumes of smoke,
straight as the flag-pole on the parade-ground, announce, to the
secretly delighted troopers at Brannon, their tardy rising.

Dallas, too, saw the busy chimneys. But while watching them intently
from an open window, her attention was attracted, all at once, in the
opposite direction. She heard, coming out of the coulee, a chorus of
shrill talking, like the pow-wow of a flock of prairie-chickens. Then, a
horse snorted, and there was a low rumble of wheels. Thinking that it
was her father, she leaned into sight. As she did so a team came
scrambling over the scarlet brink, dragging a wagon full of men and
women.

As the horses gained the level prairie, their driver laid aside a huge
black-snake whip with which he had been soundly whacking them, and
looked about. The next moment, Dallas saw him rein in his team and
spring to his feet. He was looking toward the shack, and he raised his
whip-hand menacingly.

"Look at that! Look at that!" he cried wildly, his voice carrying
through the clear air.

All looked w