"He reached for his gun—" began Peruna. Sage-brush would not let him finish his lame defense.
"You shet up!" he cried. "We don't want your kind on this range, an' the quicker that's published the quicker we'll get shet of ye. We're goin' to take the law in our own hands now—come on, boys."
Two of the boys seized Peruna, dragging him toward his horse. Echo halted them, however, with the query: "What are you going to do with this man?"
"Take him down to the creek and hang him to that big cottonwood—" cried Show Low savagely.
Before Echo could answer, Peruna demanded a hearing. "Hol' on a minute, I got something to say about that!"
"Out with it," growled Sage-brush.
"Las' time there was an affair at that cottonwood the rope broke, an' the hoss-thief dropped into the creek, swum acrost, and got away."
Sage-brush glared grimly at Peruna. "Well, we'll see that the rope don't break with you."
In all seriousness Peruna replied: "I hope so. I can't swim."
Polly, glancing down the valley, saw Buck McKee with a half-dozen of his outfit, riding furiously to the rescue of Peruna.