"Seems ter me that's goin' ter a lot of trouble when he'll swing later on anyhow. Of course, what yer say goes, Boss. Come on thar, yer mangy coyote."
"Yer'll be sorry fer this the longest day yer live, Jeb," Los threatened as the men led him away.
"I'm sure sorry that a thing of this sort should have happened," Jeb told the boys after Los was out of hearing. "But I do wish I had a line on what was on the cards for tomorrow."
"You don't suppose it's to be an attack on the ranch, do you?" Bob asked, but Jeb shook his head.
The night passed quietly. Bob and Jack were both wakeful and several times between cat naps they stole softly out of the house and watched the distant hills. Jeb too was uneasy and nearly every time they awoke they could hear him moving about in his room. But at last morning came and it was a rather mournful crowd that gathered about the breakfast table.
"Goodness gracious!" Sue broke out when they were about half through eating. "A body'd think this was a funeral. What's the matter with everyone?"
"Guess we're all kind of scared and don't want to say so," Jeb smiled.
"Well, I'm not scared. What is there to be afraid of I'd like to know? Here we've got fourteen able bodied men and they haven't got more'n about half that number at the most. You say the word and I'll go out alone and bring 'em in."
"You got gumption enough to do it all right," Jeb grinned, "but I reckon you'd find that you had bit off more'n you could chew."
"Well, maybe so but I'm off for a ride. Come on, boys, bet I'll get my saddle on first."