THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS The round-up was still under way when Cock Murray was taken off and sent to Twin River in a chuck wagon to get provisions for the ranch. He had loaded his wagon and left town behind him when he saw Dave riding hard to overtake him. He drew rein and nodded when the horseman pulled up beside him. "Howd’y, Dave." "Howd’y, Murray," replied Dave. "Spring round-up over yet?" "Nope; ’bout half." "Itch all cured good?" "Can’t find no more signs of it. That dippin’ play was a winner an’ it’s a good thing to remember." "I ’ve got a little job for you an’ Slow Jack," Dave remarked, after a moment’s thought. "Yeh? Hope it’s better’n some o’ yore schemes." "What do you mean? I never had no schemes." "All right—my mistake," drawled Murray. "What’s th’ new one?" "New nothin’. I just want you an’ Slow Jack to drive a couple o’ thousand head up in th’ Hog Back country some ’rs an’ hold ’em hid till I can take care o’ ’em." "If yo ’re goin’ to start up in business for yoreself, I ’d keep away from th’ Hog Back," replied Murray gravely. "Better try down on th’ southeast corner. There ain’t no itch hangin’ ’round there." "Business nothin’!" snapped Dave, not liking his companion’s levity. "I ’ve got somethin’ in my head that ’ll make a fortune for you an’ Slow Jack. I don’t want no profits—just th’ joy o’ takin’ a good punch at Peters ’ll do for me. But you two ought to split ’bout twenty thousand dollars a-tween you." "Music to my ears!" chuckled Murray. "Slow Jack’s goin’ to work on a salary basis on _this_ job—th’ profits ’ll be mine. Whereabouts is this gold mine located, did you say?" Dave did not heed him but continued hurriedly: "There ’s a good pasture atween th’ Hog Back an’ th’ river, an’ th’ only way to it or out of it is up that ravine. You an’ Slow Jack can drive cows to it whenever you gets a chanct, an’ a couple o’ ropes acrost th’ ravine ’ll hold ’em in. When you get a couple o’ thousand there we ’ll drive ’em north o’ th’ Cyclone’s line to Rankin, put ’em on th’ cars there an’ get ’em south into Wyoming. There ’s good money in it, Murray." The driver was staring at his companion, blank amazement on his face. "Gosh! That sounds easy! ’Bout as easy as me an’ you capturin’ th’ Fort an’ makin’ th’ Government pay us a big war indemnity. Slow Jack ’s goin’ to get th’ wages an’ profits, too. I ’m too generous to cut in an’ spoil his chance to make a fortune. I suppose we ’re goin’ to tie th’ herd to balloons an’ get ’em to Rankin that way?" "You collect th’ herd an’ I ’ll attend to all th’ rest o’ it," declared Dave. "I ’ve got this thing all worked out an’ it’s goin’ through." "Can’t be did, Dave," emphatically replied the driver, dazed by the signs of insanity manifested by his companion. "You say that because it ain’t never been done," retorted Dave, angrily. "It _can_ be done, an’ I ’m goin’ to do it. Put that in yore pipe."