"Not much!" sneered Whitey Wasson, Len's crony.
"But I tell you my cattle are dying, man!" exclaimed Mr. Carson. "You know what it means to steers to be without water this kind of weather."
"You ought to have thought of that before you pastured them down there," sneered the cowboy.
"Then you refuse to open the dam?" asked Mr. Bellmore.
"We certainly do!" returned Len.
"Then you must take the consequences," said Mr. Bellmore, speaking solemnly. "You will be sued for the value of every animal that dies of thirst, as well as being obliged to pay heavy damages for the trouble you have caused. I know the situation of water rights in this valley, and I tell you that you are acting illegally. Now do you still refuse to open that dam?"
Len looked a bit frightened at this warning, but Whitey whispered to him, and the son of Jason Molick answered:
"Go on! We're not afraid. This dam is on our land and you can't touch it!"
At that moment a distant whoop sounded. Mr. Carson and the engineer looked around and saw a cloud of dust approaching. It soon resolved itself into Dave, leading a number of cowboys who bore picks and shovels—rather unusual implements for cowpunchers. On they came, hard-riding, singing and shouting, eager for the fray. They outnumbered the Centre O outfit.
"Well, since you won't open the dam, we'll have to do it for you," went on
Mr. Bellmore. "Lively, boys!" he called, as Dave and his friends rode up.
"Tear out the dam and let the water down where it ought to run. Lively
now!"