"And you'll just about play hell doing it!" he said.
"All right, I am ready to start the game right now," said McDonald.
The men whispered a little among themselves. Their saddles were off to one side and their Winchesters lay across them, all there together. They wore six-shooters also, but they realized who their man was, now, and they were careful to make no movement toward them. Presently one of the men said:
"You say you are going to put that fellow in jail?"
"That's what I'm going to do."
"Well, now let's see about that."
The men were starting in as if to make an argument. One of the party began working a little in the direction of the guns. The idea was to distract the officer's attention for a moment and get the drop on him. It was a good game, but it failed to work in this instance. McDonald brought his guns exactly to bear on the men in front of him.
BEGINNING A CAMPAIGN IN NO-MAN'S LAND.
"Three pairs of hands went up."
"Throw up your hands!" he commanded, "every one of you quick! Throw them up, you scoundrels!"