Diamond cow. He had not reported
the finding of the dead cow, intending to return the next morning to
look the ground over and to fetch the "dogie" back to the home ranch.
It would be time enough then to make a report of the occurrence to
Stafford.

It was mid-morning when he finally reached the gully and rode down into
it. He found the dead cow still there. He dismounted to drive away
some crows that had gathered around the body. Then he noticed that the
calf had disappeared. It had strayed, perhaps. A calf could not be
depended upon to remain very long beside its dead mother, though he had
known cases where they had. But if it had strayed it could not be very
far away. He remounted his pony and loped down the gully, reaching the
ridge presently and riding along this, searching the surrounding
country with keen glances. He could see no signs of the calf. He came
to a shelf-rock presently, beside which grew a tangled gnarl of
scrub-oak brush. Something lay in the soft sand and he dismounted
quickly and picked up a leather tobacco pouch. He examined this
carefully. There were no marks on it to tell who might be the owner.

"A man who loses his tobacco in this country is mighty careless," he
observed, smiling; "or in pretty much of a hurry."

He went close to the thicket, looking down at it, searching the sand
with interest. Presently he made out the impression of a foot in a
soft spot and, looking further, saw two furrows that might have been
made by a man kneeling. He knelt in the furrows himself and with one
hand parted the brush. He smiled grimly as, peering into the gully, he
saw the dead Two Diamond cow on the opposite side.

He stepped abruptly away from the thicket and looked about him. A few
yards back there was a deep depression in the ridge, fringed with a
growth of nondescript weed. He approached this and peered into it.
Quite recently a horse had been there. He could plainly see the
hoof-prints--where the animal had pawed impatiently. He returned to
the thicket, convinced.

"Some one was here yesterday when I was down there lookin' at that
cow," he decided. "They was watchin' me. That man I seen ridin' that
other ridge was with the one who was here. Now why didn't this man
slope too?"

He stood erect, looking about him. Then he smiled.

"Why, it's awful plain," he said. "The man who was on this ridge was
watchin'. He heard my gun go off, when I shot that snake. I reckon he