第11章

"Wal，boys，I’lltellthewomen，"hesaid。"Shoreyouneedn’tworrynoneabootthem。They’llbegame。"

Jeanrodeawaytoanopenknollashortdistancefromthehouse，andherehestationedhimselftowatchallpoints。ThecedaredridgebackoftheranchwastheoneapproachbywhichJorth’sgangmightcomeclosewithoutbeingdetected，butevenso，Jeancouldseethemandridetothehouseintimetopreventasurprise。Themomentsdraggedby，andattheendofanhourJeanwasinhopesthatBlaisdellwouldsooncome。Thesehopeswerewellfounded。Presentlyheheardaclatterofhoofsonhardgroundtothesouth，anduponwheelingtolookhesawthefriendlyneighborcomingfastalongtheroad，ridingabigwhitehorse。Blaisdellcarriedarifleinhishand，andthesightofhimgaveJeanaglowofwarmth。HewasoneoftheTexanswhowouldstandbytheIsbelstothelastman。Jeanwatchedhimridetothehouse——watchedthemeetingbetweenhimandhislifelongfriend。

TherefloatedouttoJeanoldBlaisdell’sroarofrage。

ThenoutonthegreenofGrassValley，wherealong，swellingplainsweptawaytowardthevillage，thereappearedamovingdarkpatch。

Abunchofhorses！Jean’sbodygaveaslightstart——theshockofsuddenpropulsionofbloodthroughallhisveins。Thosehorsesboreriders。Theywerecomingstraightdowntheopenvalley，onthewagonroadtoIsbel’sranch。Nosubterfugenorsecrecynorsneakinginthatadvance！AhotthrillranoverJean。

"ByHeaven！Theymeanbusiness！"hemuttered。UptothelastmomenthehadunconsciouslyhopedJorth’sgangwouldnotcomeboldlylikethat。

TheverificationsofallaTexan’sinheritedinstinctsleftnodoubts，nohopes，noillusions——onlyagrimcertaintythatthiswasnotconjecturenorprobability，butfact。ForamomentlongerJeanwatchedtheslowlymovingdarkpatchofhorsemenagainstthegreenbackground，thenhehurriedbacktotheranch。Hisfathersawhimcoming——strodeoutasbefore。

"Dad——Jorthiscomin’，"saidJean，huskily。Howhehatedtobeforcedtotellhisfatherthat！Theboyishloveofoldhadflashedup。

"Whar？"demandedtheoldman，hiseaglegazesweepingthehorizon。

"DowntheroadfromGrassValley。Youcan’tseefromhere。"

"Wal，comeinan’let’sgetready。"

Isbel’shousehadnotbeenconstructedwiththeideaofrepellinganattackfromabandofApaches。Thelonglivingroomofthemaincabinwastheoneselectedfordefenseandprotection。Thisroomhadtwowindowsandadoorfacingthelane，andadoorateachend，oneofwhichopenedintothekitchenandtheotherintoanadjoiningandlater—builtcabin。Thelogsofthismaincabinwereoflargesize，andthedoorsandwindowcoveringswereheavy，affordingsaferprotectionfrombulletsthantheothercabins。

WhenJeanwentinheseemedtoseeahostofwhitefacesliftedtohim。

HissisterAnn，histwosisters—in—law，thechildren，allmutelywatchedhimwitheyesthatwouldhaunthim。

"Wal，Blaisdell，JeansaysJorthan’hispreciousgangofrustlersareonthewayheah，"announcedtherancher。

"Damnmeifit’snotabaddayferLeeJorth！"declaredBlaisdell。

"Clearoffthattable，"orderedIsbel，"an’fetchoutallthegunsan’shellswegot。"

Oncelaiduponthetablethesepresentedaformidablearsenal，whichconsistedofthethreenew。44WinchestersthatJeanhadbroughtwithhimfromthecoast;theenormousbuffalo，orso—called"needle"gun，thatGastonIsbelhadusedforyears;aHenryriflewhichBlaisdellhadbrought，andhalfadozensix—shooters。Pilesandpackagesofammunitionlitteredthetable。

"Sortouttheseheahshells，"saidIsbel。"Everybodywantstogetholdofhisown。"

Jacobs，theneighborwhowaspresent，wasathick—set，beardedman，ratherjovialamongthoselean—jawedTexans。Hecarrieda。44rifleofanoldpattern。"Wal，boys，ifI’dknowedwewasinfersomefunI’dhevfetchedmoreshells。Onlygotonemagazinefull。Mebbethemnew。44’swillfitmygun。"

ItwasdiscoveredthattheammunitionJeanhadbroughtinquantityfittedJacob’srifle，afactwhichaffordedpeculiarsatisfactiontoallthemenpresent。

"Wal，shorewe’relucky，"declaredGastonIsbel。

Thewomensatapart，inthecomertowardthekitchen，andthereseemedtobeastrangefascinationfortheminthetalkandactionofthemen。

ThewifeofJacobswasalittlewoman，withhomelyfaceandverybrighteyes。Jeanthoughtshewouldbeahelpinthathouseholdduringthenextdoubtfulhours。

EverymomentJeanwouldgotothewindowandpeeroutdowntheroad。

Hiscompanionsevidentlyrelieduponhim，fornooneelselookedout。

Nowthatthesuspenseofdaysandweekswasover，theseTexansfacedtheissuewithtalkandactnotnoticeablydifferentfromthoseofordinarymoments。

AtlastJeanespiedthedarkmassofhorsemenoutinthevalleyroad。

Theywereclosetogether，walkingtheirmounts，andevidentlyinearnestconversation。AfterseveralineffectualattemptsJeancountedelevenhorses，everyoneofwhichhewassureborearider。

"Dad，lookout！"calledJean。

GastonIsbelstrodetothedoorandstoodlooking，withoutaword。

Theothermencrowdedtothewindows。Blaisdellcursedunderhisbreath。Jacobssaid:"ByGolly！Cometopayusacall！"Thewomensatmotionless，withdark，strainedeyes。Thechildrenceasedtheirplayandlookedfearfullytotheirmother。

Whenjustoutofrifleshotofthecabinsthebandofhorsemenhaltedandlinedupinahalfcircle，allfacingtheranch。TheywerecloseenoughforJeantoseetheirgestures，buthecouldnotrecognizeanyoftheirfaces。Itstruckhimsingularlythatnotoneofthemworeamask。

"Jean，doyouknowanyofthem？"askedhisfather"No，notyet。They’retoofaroff。"

"Dad，I’llgetyouroldtelescope，"saidGuyIsbel，andheranouttowardtheadjoiningcabin。

Blaisdellshookhisbig，hoaryheadandrumbledoutofhisbull—likeneck，"Wal，nowyou’reheah，yousheepfellars，whatareyougoin’

todoabootit？"

GuyIsbelreturnedwithayard—longtelescope，whichhepassedtohisfather。Theoldmantookitwithshakinghandsandleveledit。

Suddenlyitwasasifhehadbeentransfixed;thenheloweredtheglass，shakingviolently，andhisfacegrewgraywithanexceedingbitterwrath。

"Jorth！"heswore，harshly。

Jeanhadonlytolookathisfathertoknowthatrecognitionhadbeenlikeamortalshock。Itpassed。Againtherancherleveledtheglass。

"Wal，Blaisdell，there’souroldTexasfriend，Daggs，"hedrawled，dryly。

"An’Greaves，ourhoneststorekeeperofGrassValley。An’there’sStonewallJacksonJorth。An’TadJorth，withthesameoldrednose！……An’，say，damnifoneofthatgangisn’tQueen，asbadagunfighterasTexaseverbred。ShoreIthoughthe’dbeenkilledintheBigBendcountry。SoIheard……An’there’sCraig，anotherrespectablesheepmanofGrassValley。Haw—haw！An’，wal，Idon’trecognizeanymoreofthem。"

Jeanforthwithtooktheglassandmoveditslowlyacrossthefacesofthatgroupofhorsemen。"SimmBruce，"hesaid，instantly。"IseeColter。And，yes，Greavesisthere。I’veseenthemannexttohim——facelikeaham……"

"ShorethatisCraig，"interruptedhisfather。

JeanknewthedarkfaceofLeeJorthbytheresemblanceitboretoEllen’s，andtherecognitionbroughtatwinge。Hethought，too，thathecouldtelltheotherJorths。HeaskedhisfathertodescribeDaggsandthenQueen。ItwasnotlikelythatJeanwouldfailtoknowtheseseveralmeninthefuture。ThenBlaisdellaskedforthetelescopeand，whenhegotthroughlookingandcursing，hepasseditontoothers，who，onebyone，tookalonglook，untilfinallyitcamebacktotheoldrancher。

"Wal，Daggsiswavin’hishandheahan’there，likeageneralaboottosendoutscouts。Haw—haw！……An’’pearstomehe’snotoverlookin’

ourhosses。Wal，that’snaturalforarustler。He’dhavetostealahossorasteerbeforegoin’intoafightortodinnerortoafuneral。"

"It’llbehisfuneralifhegoestofoolin’’roundthemhosses，"

declaredGuyIsbel，peeringanxiouslyoutofthedoor。

"Wal，son，shoreit’llbesomebody’sfuneral，"repliedhisfather。

Jeanpaidbutlittleheedtotheconversation。Withsharpeyesfixeduponthehorsemen，hetriedtograspattheirintention。Daggspointedtothehorsesinthepasturelotthatlaybetweenhimandthehouse。

TheseanimalswerethebestontherangeandbelongedmostlytoGuyIsbel，whowasthehorsefancierandtraderofthefamily。Hishorseswerehispassion。

"Lookslikethey’ddosomehorsestealin’，"saidJean。

"Lendmethatglass，"demandedGuy，forcefully。Hesurveyedthebandofmenforalongmoment，thenhehandedtheglassbacktoJean。

"I’mgoin’outthereaftermybosses，"hedeclared。

"No！"exclaimedhisfather。

"Thatgangcometostealan’nottofight。Can’tyouseethat？

Iftheymeanttofightthey’ddoit。They’reouttherearguin’

aboutmyhosses。"

Guypickeduphisrifle。Helookedsullenlydeterminedandthegleaminhiseyewasoneoffearlessness。

"Son，IknowDaggs，"saidhisfather。"An’IknowJorth。They’vecometokillus。It’llbeshoredeathfory’utogooutthere。"

"I’mgoin’，anyhow。Theycan’tstealmyhossesoutfromundermyeyes。

An’theyain’tinrange。"

"Wal，Guy，youain’tgoin’alone，"spokeupJacobs，cheerily，ashecameforward。

Thered—hairedyoungwifeofGuyIsbelshowednochangeofhergraveface。Shehadbeenrearedinasternschool。Sheknewmenintimeslikethese。ButJacobs’swifeappealedtohim，"Bill，don’triskyourlifeforahorseortwo。"

Jacobslaughedandanswered，"Notmuchrisk，"andwentoutwithGuy。

ToJeantheiractionseemedfoolhardy。HekeptakeeneyeonthemandsawinstantlywhenthebandbecameawareofGuy’sandJacobs’sentranceintothepasture。IttookonlyanothersecondthentorealizethatDaggsandJorthhaddeadlyintent。JeansawDaggsslipoutofhissaddle，rifleinhand。Othersofthegangdidlikewise，untilhalfofthemweredismounted。

"Dad，they’regoin’toshoot，"calledoutJean，sharply。"YellforGuyandJacobs。Makethemcomeback。"

Theoldmanshouted;BillIsbelyelled;Blaisdellliftedhisstentorianvoice。

Jeanscreamedpiercingly:"Guy！Run！Run！"

ButGuyIsbelandhiscompanionstrodeonintothepasture，asiftheyhadnotheard，asifnomenacinghorsethieveswerewithinmiles。Theyhadcoveredaboutaquarterofthedistanceacrossthepasture，andwerenearingthehorses，whenJeansawredflashesandwhitepuffsofsmokeburstoutfromthefrontofthatdarkbandofrustlers。Thenfollowedthesharp，rattlingcrackofrifles。

GuyIsbelstoppedshort，and，droppinghisgun，hethrewuphisarmsandfellheadlong。Jacobsactedasifhehadsuddenlyencounteredaninvisibleblow。Hehadbeenhit。Turning，hebegantorunandranfastforafewpaces。Thereweremorequick，sharpshots。Heletgoofhisrifle。Hisrunningbroke。Walking，reeling，staggering，hekepton。

Ahoarsecrycamefromhim。Thenasinglerifleshotpealedout。Jeanheardthebulletstrike。Jacobsfelltohisknees，thenforwardonhisface。

JeanIsbelfelthimselfturnedtomarble。Thesuddennessofthistragedyparalyzedhim。Hisgazeremainedrivetedonthoseprostrateforms。

Ahandclutchedhisarm——ashakingwoman’shand，slimandhardandtense。

"Bill’s——killed！"whisperedabrokenvoice。"Iwaswatchin’……They’rebothdead！"

ThewivesofJacobsandGuyIsbelhadslippedupbehindJeanandfrombehindhimtheyhadseenthetragedy。

"IaskedBill——notto——go，"falteredtheJacobswoman，and，coveringherfacewithherhands，shegropedbacktothecomerofthecabin，wheretheotherwomen，shakingandwhite，receivedherintheirarms。

GuyIsbel’swifestoodatthewindow，peeringoverJean’sshoulder。

Shehadthenerveofaman。Shehadlookedoutupondeathbefore。

"Yes，they’redead，"shesaid，bitterly。"An’howarewegoin’togettheirbodies？"

AtthisGastonIsbelseemedtorousefromthecoldspellthathadtransfixedhim。

"God，thisishellforourwomen，"hecriedout，hoarsely。Myson——

myson！……MurderedbytheJorths！"Thenhesworeaterribleoath。

Jeansawtheremainderofthemountedrustlersgetoff，andthen，allofthemleadingtheirhorses，theybegantomovearoundtotheleft。

"Dad，they’removin’round，"saidJean。

"Uptosometrick，"declaredBillIsbel。

"Bill，youmakeaholethroughthebackwall，sayabootthefifthlogup，"orderedthefather。"Shorewe’vegottolookout。"

Theeldersongraspedatooland，scatteringthechildren，whohadbeenplayingnearthebackcorner，hebegantoworkatthepointdesignated。Thelittlechildrenbackedawaywithfixed，wondering，graveeyes。Thewomenmovedtheirchairs，andhuddledtogetherasifwaitingandlistening。

Jeanwatchedtherustlersuntiltheypassedoutofhissight。Theyhadmovedtowardthesloping，brushygroundtothenorthandwestofthecabins。

"Letmeknowwhenyougetaholeinthebackwall，"saidJean，andhewentthroughthekitchenandcautiouslyoutanotherdoortoslipintoalow—roofed，shed—likeendoftheramblingcabin。Thissmallspacewasusedtostorewinterfirewood。Thechinksbetweenthewallshadnotbeenfilledwithadobeclay，andhecouldseeoutonthreesides。

Therustlersweregoingintothejuniperbrush。Theymovedoutofsight，andpresentlyreappearedwithouttheirhorses。ItlookedtoJeanasiftheyintendedtoattackthecabins。Thentheyhaltedattheedgeofthebrushandheldalongconsultation。Jeancouldseethemdistinctly，thoughtheyweretoofardistantforhimtorecognizeanyparticularman。Oneofthem，however，stoodandmovedapartfromthecloselymassedgroup。Evidently，fromhisstridesandgestures，hewasexhortinghislisteners。JeanconcludedthiswaseitherDaggsorJorth。Whoeveritwashadaloud，coarsevoice，andthisandhisactionsimpressedJeanwithasuspicionthatthemanwasundertheinfluenceofthebottle。

PresentlyBillIsbelcalledJeaninalowvoice。"Jean，Igottheholemade，butwecan’tseeanyone。"

"Iseethem，"Jeanreplied。"They’rehavin’apowwow。LookstomelikeeitherJorthorDaggsisdrunk。He’sarguin’tochargeus，an’

therestofthegangareholdin’back……Telldad，an’allofyoukeepwatchin’。I’llletyouknowwhentheymakeamove。"

Jorth’sgangappearedtobeinnohurrytoexposetheirplanofbattle。

Graduallythegroupdisintegratedalittle;someofthemsatdown;

otherswalkedtoandfro。Presentlytwoofthemwentintothebrush，probablybacktothehorses。Inafewmomentstheyreappeared，carryingapack。Andwhenthiswasdepositedonthegroundalltherustlerssatdownaroundit。Theyhadbroughtfoodanddrink。Jeanhadtoutteragrimlaughattheircoolness;andhewasremindedofmanydare—devildeedsknowntohavebeenperpetratedbytheHashKnifeGang。Jeanwasgladofareprieve。ThelongertherustlersputoffanattackthemoretimethealliesoftheIsbelswouldhavetogethere。Ratherhazardous，however，woulditbenowforanyonetoattempttogettotheIsbelcabinsinthedaytime。Nightwouldbemorefavorable。

TwiceBillIsbelcamethroughthekitchentowhispertoJean。Thestraininthelargeroom，fromwhichtherustlerscouldnotbeseen，musthavebeengreat。Jeantoldhimallhehadseenandwhathethoughtaboutit。

"Eatin’an’drinkin’！"ejaculatedBill。"Well，I’llbe——！That’lljartheoldman。Hewantstogetthefightover。

"TellhimIsaidit’llbeovertooquick——forus——unlessaremightycareful，"repliedJean，sharply。

Billwentbackmutteringtohimself。Thenfollowedalongwait，fraughtwithsuspense，duringwhichJeanwatchedtherustlersregalethemselves。

Thedaywashotandstill。Andtheunnaturalsilenceofthecabinwasbrokennowandthenbythegaylaughterofthechildren。ThesoundshockedandhauntedJean。Playingchildren！Thenanothersound，sofainthehadtostraintohearit，disturbedandsaddenedhim——hisfather’sslowtreadupanddownthecabinfloor，toandfro，toandfro。

Whatmustbeinhisfather’sheartthisday！

Atlengththerustlersroseand，withriflesinhand，theymovedasonemandowntheslope。Theycameseveralhundredyardscloser，untilJean，grimlycockinghisrifle，mutteredtohimselfthatafewmorerodscloserwouldmeantheendofseveralofthatgang。Theyknewtherangeofariflewellenough，andoncemoresheeredoffatrightangleswiththecabin。WhentheygotevenwiththelineofcorralstheystoopeddownandwerelosttoJean’ssight。Thisfactcausedhimalarm。

Theywere，ofcourse，crawlinguponthecabins。Attheendofthatlineofcorralsranaditch，thebankofwhichwashighenoughtoaffordcover。Moreover，itranalonginfrontofthecabins，scarcelyahundredyards，anditwascoveredwithgrassandlittleclumpsofbrush，frombehindwhichtherustlerscouldfireintothewindowsandthroughtheclaychinkswithoutanyconsiderablerisktothemselves。

Astheydidnotcomeintosightagain，Jeanconcludedhehaddiscoveredtheirplan。Still，hewaitedawhilelonger，untilhesawfaint，littlecloudsofdustrisingfrombehindthefarendoftheembankment。Thatdiscoverymadehimrushout，andthroughthekitchentothelargecabin，wherehissuddenappearancestartledthemen。

"Getbackoutofsight！"heordered，sharply，andwithswiftstepshereachedthedoorandclosedit。"They’rebehindthebankouttherebythecorrals。An’they’regoin’tocrawldowntheditchclosertous……Itlooksbad。They’llhavegrassan’brushtoshootfrom。

We’vegottobemightycarefulhowwepeepout。"

"Ahuh！Allright，"repliedhisfather。"Youwomenkeepthekidswithyouinthatcorner。An’youallbetterlaydownflat。"

Blaisdell，BillIsbel，andtheoldmancrouchedatthelargewindow，peepingthroughcracksintheroughedgesofthelogs。Jeantookhispostbesidethesmallwindow，withhiskeeneyesvibratinglikeacompassneedle。Themovementofabladeofgrass，theflightofagrasshoppercouldnotescapehistrainedsight。

"Looksharpnow！"hecalledtotheothermen。"Iseedust……

They’reworkin’alongalmosttothatbarespotonthebank……

Isawthetipofarifle……ablackhat……moredust。They’respreadin’alongbehindthebank。"

Loudvoices，andthenthickcloudsofyellowdust，comingfrombehindthehighestandbrushiestlineoftheembankment，attestedtothetruthofJean’sobservation，andalsotoarecklessdisregardofdanger。

SuddenlyJeancaughtaglintofmovingcolorthroughthefringeofbrush。Instantlyhewasstrunglikeawhipcord。

Thenatall，hatlessandcoatlessmansteppedupinplainsight。

Thesunshoneonhisfair，ruffledhair。Daggs！

Hey，you————Isbels！"hebawled，inmagnificentderisiveboldness。

"Comeoutan’fight！"

QuickaslightningJeanthrewuphisrifleandfired。HesawtuftsoffairhairflyfromDaggs’shead。Hesawthesquirtofredblood。

Thenquickshotsfromhis，comradesrangout。Theyallhittheswayingbodyoftherustler。ButJeanknewwithaterriblethrillthathisbullethadkilledDaggsbeforetheotherthreestruck。Daggsfellforward，hisarmsandhalfhisbodyrestingover，theembankment。

Thentherustlersdraggedhimbackoutofsight。Hoarseshoutsrose。

Acloudofyellowdustdriftedawayfromthespot。

"Daggs！"burstoutGastonIsbel。"Jean，youknockedoffthetopofhishaid。IseenthatwhenIwaspullin’trigger。Shoreweoverheahwastedourshots。"

"God！hemusthavebeencrazyordrunk——topopupthere——an’braceusthatway，"saidBlaisdell，breathinghard。

"ArizonaisbadforTexans，"repliedIsbel，sardonically。"Shoreit’sbeentoopeacefulheah。Rustlershavenopracticeatfightin’。An’I

reckonDaggsforgot。"

"DaggsmadeascrazyamoveasthatofGuyan’Jacobs，"spokeupJean。

"Theywereoverbold，an’hewasdrunk。Letthembealessontous。"

Jeanhadsmelledwhiskyuponhisentrancetothiscabin。Billwasaharddrinker，andhisfatherwasnotimmune。Blaisdell，too，drankheavilyuponoccasions。Jeanmadeamentalnotethathewouldnotpermittheirchancestobecomeimpairedbyliquor。

Riflesbegantocrack，andpuffsofsmokeroseallalongtheembankmentforthespaceofahundredfeet。Bulletswhistledthroughtherudewindowcasingandspatteredontheheavydoor，andonesplittheclaybetweenthelogsbeforeJean，narrowlymissinghim。Anothervolleyfollowed，thenanother。Therustlershadrepeatingriflesandtheywereemptyingtheirmagazines。Jeanchangedhisposition。Theothermenprofitedbyhiswisemove。Thevolleyshadmergedintoonecontinuousrattlingroarofrifleshots。Thencameasuddencessationofreports，withsilenceofrelief。Thecabinwasfullofdust，mingledwiththesmokefromtheshotsofJeanandhiscompanions。Jeanheardthestifledbreathsofthechildren。Evidentlytheywereterror—stricken，buttheydidnotcryout。Thewomenutterednosound。

Aloudvoicepealedfrombehindtheembankment。

"Comeoutan’fight！DoyouIsbelswanttobekilledlikesheep？"

Thissallygainednoreply。Jeanreturnedtohispostbythewindowandhiscomradesfollowedhisexample。Andtheyexercisedextremecautionwhentheypeepedout。

"Boys，don’tshoottillyouseeone，"saidGastonIsbel。"Maybeafterawhilethey’llgetcareless。ButJorthwillnevershowhimself。"

Therustlersdidnotagainresorttovolleys。Onebyone，fromdifferentangles，theybegantoshoot，andtheywerenotfiringatrandom。Afewbulletscamestraightinatthewindowstopatintothewalls;afewotherstickedandsplinteredtheedgesofthewindows;

andmostofthembrokethroughtheclaychinksbetweenthelogs。ItdawneduponJeanthatthesedangerousshotswerenotaccident。Theywerewellaimed，andmostofthemhitlowdown。Thecunningrustlershadsomeunerringriflemenandtheywerepickingoutthevulnerableplacesallalongthefrontofthecabin。IfJeanhadnotbeenlyingflathewouldhavebeenhittwice。Presentlyheconceivedtheideaofdrivingpegsbetweenthelogs，highup，and，kneelingonthese，hemanagedtopeepoutfromtheupperedgeofthewindow。Butthispositionwasawkwardanddifficulttoholdforlong。

Heheardabullethitoneofhiscomrades。Whoeverhadbeenstruckneverutteredasound。Jeanturnedtolook。BillIsbelwasholdinghisshoulder，whereredsplotchesappearedonhisshirt。HeshookhisheadatJean，evidentlytomakelightofthewound。Thewomenandchildrenwerelyingfacedownandcouldnotseewhatwashappening。

PlainiswasthatBilldidnotwantthemtoknow。Blaisdellboundupthebloodyshoulderwithascarf。

Steadyfiringfromtherustlerswenton，attherateofoneshoteveryfewminutes。TheIsbelsdidnotreturnthese。Jeandidnotfireagainthatafternoon。Towardsunset，whenthebesiegersappearedtogrowrestlessorcareless，Blaisdellfiredatsomethingmovingbehindthebrush;andGastonIsbel’shugebuffalogunboomedout。

"Wal，what’retheygoin’todoafterdark，an’what’reWEgoin’

todo？"grumbledBlaisdell。

"Reckonthey’llneverchargeus，"saidGaston。

"Theymightsetfiretothecabins，"addedBillIsbel。HeappearedtobethegloomiestoftheIsbelfaction。Therewassomethingonhismind。

"Wal，theJorthsarebad，butIreckonthey’dnotburnusalive，"

repliedBlaisdell。

"Hah！"ejaculatedGastonIsbel。"MuchyouknowabootLeeJorth。

Hewouldskinmealivean’throwred—hotcoalsonmyrawflesh。"

Sotheytalkedduringthehourfromsunsettodark。JeanIsbelhadlittletosay。Hewasrevolvingpossibilitiesinhismind。Darknessbroughtachangeintheattackoftherustlers。Theystationedmenatfourpointsaroundthecabins;andeveryfewminutesoneoftheseoutpostswouldfire。Thesebulletsembeddedthemselvesinthelogs，causingbutlittleanxietytotheIsbels。

"Jean，whatyoumakeofit？"askedtheoldrancher。

"Lookstomethisway，"repliedJean。"They’resetforalongfight。

They’reshootin’justtoletusknowthey’reonthewatch。"

"Ahuh！Wal，what’reyougoin’todoabootit？"

"I’mgoin’outtherepresently。"

GastonIsbelgruntedhissatisfactionatthisintentionofJean’s。

Allwaspitchdarkinsidethecabin。Thewomenhadwaterandfoodathand。Jeankeptasharplookoutfromhiswindowwhileheatehissupperofmeat，bread，andmilk。Atlastthechildren，wornoutbythelongday，fellasleep。Thewomenwhisperedalittleintheircorner。