“Man, dear, but this is too much!” hissed the ranchman. “After them, boys!
“We’ll hit their trail and stay on it till the last skulking coyote of ’em is furnishing food for the vultures!”
CHAPTER IV.
PREPARATIONS FOR PURSUIT.
As the cowboys, who knew him so well, heard the grim words uttered by the doughty ranchman, they realized that he would keep his vow of trailing the cattle thieves until he had, indeed, run them to their lair.
“We’re with you, Sam,” declared the foreman.
“That’s what!” chorused the other cowpunchers, while Deadshot added: “There can’t no bunch of cowlifters say they fooled Deadshot Pete—and got away with it!”
“But as I was a going to say,” continued Sandy, “it strikes me we ought to round up the cattle and get ’em back before we start out.”
“And let those sneaks get away while we’re doing it?” snapped the owner of the Double Cross. “I’d rather get them than all the cattle on my ranch!”
“That’s all right, Sam. I know how you feel; that is, I know how I’d feel in your place. But they can’t get away. We’ll trail ’em from Old Mex to Canada—if we have to. A few hours’ start won’t do ’em any good, consequently. So I say, what’s the use of letting the cattle run wild?”