“Very well,” replied Titzell, apparently unperturbed by the gruff treatment accorded him, “but think it over. If you change your mind about that choice stuff on your north range, let me know.”
The cattle buyer mounted and rode swiftly down the trail toward Dirty Water.
“I hope his horse stumbles and Titzell breaks his neck,” snorted the range boss.
One remark of the cattle buyer’s lodged in Slim’s memory. He had especially mentioned the choice stock on the north range, which lay next to the boundary of the Double O.
Slim was still feeling the fatigue of his two arduous days on the trail of the bushwhacker and he rolled into his blankets early, followed shortly by the other riders of the Box B.
Doug and Slim rode the same section of the range the next morning and it was well after noon when they reached the boundary of the Double O. On the previous day they had passed a bunch of steers grazing in a coulee a mile below the boundary, but the cattle were nowhere in sight and Slim and Doug spread out to hunt for them.
Slim followed their trail straight across the line into Double O territory and he turned and rode back to join Doug.
“The cattle have gone into Double O range and it looks to me as though they were driven there.”
“Then we’d better get back to the ranch and tell Joe.”
Slim gave Lightning her head and soon outdistanced Doug in the ride back to the ranch. Fortunately Joe Haines had ridden in early and he told the foreman what had happened on the north range.