“I swore I’d get you, Silver,” he said. “I started out last night to clean out the valley. I don’t know how badly I’m hurt, but it’s bad enough. But you’ve stolen your last cow, kidnaped your last woman. If you’ve got any prayers to say you better say ’em.”
“I’m not prayin’,” said Jack coldly. “I never stole yore cows and I never kidnaped any woman.”
“What else could yuh say?” cried Reber, and then to his men, “Run a rope over the ridge-pole of the stable.”
The men hurried to do his bidding. Old Buck Priest had heard Reber’s order, and it seemed to amuse him greatly.
“Goin’ to hang the lad, eh?” he laughed. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! That’s good! Goin’ to die with that on yore dirty soul, eh? It’s like yuh, Reber.”
He turned to Jack, who was being held by two men.
“Reber’s men bushwhacked me last night, Jack. They killed Ken Mader. Yesterday afternoon they killed O’Steen.”
“You lie!” declared Reber weakly. “You’re tryin’ to turn it around. You stole my cattle and my men caught yuh.”
“And yore men shot Sam Herd yesterday, Priest,” declared Nelson.
“Lies!” panted Buck. “All lies! We didn’t know Herd was dead until we met yuh at the forks of the road, Nelson.”