“And Eph King knows it, I’ll bet.”
“You’ll probably win.”
“Uh-huh. Say, Marsh, let’s take a little sashay down that way. We can kinda act like we wasn’t goin’ nowhere. Them jiggers are liable to pick up their beds and pull out.”
“Let’s do that,” suggested Jack. “Let’s do somethin’ besides talk. My ——, I can’t stand it much longer.”
“You ain’t heard nothin’ from your wife?” Thus Sunshine.
Jack shook his head sadly.
“I’m afraid—now. With that bunch of rustlers around here, it’s hard to tell what has happened to her. That sun is almost down—and she’s been gone since yesterday. C’mon.”
They rode down through the hills, swinging to the east of the Arrow ranch, taking a course almost directly between the Arrow and Jack’s place. There were no cattle in sight. Ordinarily the hills were filled with Arrow, Turkey Track and Circle V cattle in that part of the range, but there were none of any brand now.
Suddenly the sheriff drew rein and pointed excitedly. About a mile away a group of horsemen were riding swiftly in the direction of the rustler’s shack. It was impossible to tell who they were or how many men were in the crowd, but they were making good time, and going almost away from the sheriff’s crowd.
“There they go!” blurted Sunshine. “And they’re goin’ like ——! I’ll betcha they’re wise to somethin’ and are beatin’ it for the shack to get their stuff.”