“You’ll have a hell of a time!”
“Maybe. Oh, let’s go to town. This makes me sore; but what I’d like to know is this: Why didn’t Conley cut the brands off before you and Clayton saw the animals?”
“That wouldn’t have been any revenge,” said Slim.
“No, that’s true. I’ve a notion to go over and have it out with Mose Conley right now.”
“Hop to it,” grinned Slim. “You can shore have my share of it. My gun and Mark’s gun are still there, so you might ask him for ’em.”
Moran spat out the stump of his cigar and picked up his reins.
“I reckon it can wait,” he said. “I’ll see him later.”
They rode back through the cut fence, instead of going down through Conley’s gate. They rode to Turquoise City.
Dawn and her father had been out to Hot Creek earlier in the morning, and they were just as surprized as the Big 4 men had been to find the brands skinned off.
“Mighty queer,” said Conley heavily. “I don’t understand it, Dawn.”