"I shall hold you responsible for every head of cattle of mine that is missing," continued Mr. Merwell, with a dark look.
"I am willing to pay for every head that Todd drove off that did not belong to us," answered Mr. Endicott. "But he assured me that he took only our own. I will look into the matter when I get back to the ranch." And, bowing stiffly, the railroad president rode on, with Belle beside him. As they passed, Link "made a face" at Belle, but the young lady refused to notice him.
As soon as he returned to the ranch, Mr. Endicott called up Sid Todd, and then some of the other cowboys, and questioned them closely about the cattle sent off. The head herder indignantly denied that he had included any outside cattle, and his story was corroborated by the others.
"I can leave it to Bill Parker, Mr. Hooper's man," said Todd. "He was there. If Merwell didn't want to take our word, why didn't he send a man down? We notified him that we was going to make a shipment."
"Have the steers been shipped yet?"
"No—not till to-morrow."
"Then ride down to the yard and have Harrison go over them and write out a declaration that they are all ours," added the ranch owner.
"It's a good deal of work," grumbled the cowboy.
"I know it, but I'll pay Harrison. With a declaration from Harrison, Mr. Merwell will have no claim."
The ranch owner's orders were carried out, and the next day a duplicate of the stockyard man's declaration,—that the cattle were all of the Star Ranch brand,—was delivered to Mr. Merwell.