Sagebrush wended his way down the valley in patient tolerance of sun and sand. But of a sudden he wakened to the startling fact that his name was being called; amazedly, he peered up at the hillsides, shaded his eyes with his hand, and descried the figure of Deadoak Stevens approaching, carefully leading one of Piute's cayuses down the rocky descent. An hour afterward, Deadoak was riding up to the shack in the valley, with a fine appearance of just finishing the end of a toilsome journey. A meeting with Sagebrush had afforded him a plan of campaign. He observed Murray sitting before the shack cleaning a revolver, and dismounted with a cheerful greeting; his cheerful expression vanished quickly, however, when Murray pointed the revolver at him and rose, blazing with wrath. "So you've come to the scene of your crime, Deadoak! Put those hands up--that's right! And stand still--don't back away; you've nowhere to back." "Wh-what's the matter?" stammered the paralyzed Deadoak. "The matter?" repeated Murray. "You know! You've defrauded honest men, and now you're going to settle up. If you've any last words to say, say 'em quick! My finger's trembling on the trigger. Tonight you'll be reposing under that tree; we're here alone, Deadoak Stevens, and you shall perish at the hands of the man whom you----" Deadoak trembled, and his jaw sagged. "Say!" he croaked. "I--I--honest, now, I come out here to square things up! I heard that Mac was lookin' for ruby silver--them samples was a mistake! Piute said he'd put 'em in with Hassayamp's stuff one time. I rid here to----" "What!" Murray lowered his weapon, in genuine amazement. Deadoak leaped at the chance. "Yep, that's right, Doc! _I_ didn't go to defraud nobody! If you ain't satisfied with the deal, I'll take back the prop'ty and no hard feelin's--that's what I rid out here to say, if ye give me a chance. Ding my dogs, I ain't no gunman. P'int that thing another way!" Murray obeyed. "You don't mean that you'll take back the property? At the price we paid?" "Certain!" assented Deadoak, fervently virtuous and hugely relieved. "Give ye a profit, if ye feel bad. Why, Doc, we wouldn't go to pirootin' no pilgrims--future denizens o' this here great an' glorious Two Palms! We wouldn't have ye feel that we was anythin' but honest an' simple natives, welcomin' you to our midst. We'll go to 'most any length to make things good. If we'd knowed that Mac was attracted by them ruby silver samples--which same I didn't know--we'd have run down the thing then an' there----" "Hold on," interjected Murray. "Here's Mackintavers now." Sandy had descried the arrival of the visitor from afar, and was now hastening toward the cabin. It was a rare thing, an unknown thing, for Sandy Mackintavers to meet any man who had successfully bilked _him_; he arrived upon the spot somewhat out of breath, and gazed upon Deadoak more in sorrow than in wrath.