The scout opened one of two doors that were in the rear of the room, and carried the lamp into the kitchen. Here everything was in apple-pie order. Dishes were neatly arranged in a crude box cupboard, and the floor was as clean as a hickory-splint broom could make it. He tried the kitchen door, and found it locked. Returning to the living room, he found Nate Dunbar standing in the middle of it and looking around dejectedly. “They’ve been run off,” he declared hopelessly; “that’s what’s happened! If any harm comes to Hattie,” and here his voice fell husky and murderous, “I’ll camp on Lige Benner’s trail--_and I’ll get him_.” “Don’t try to take the law into your own hands, Nate,” said the scout. “We’ll dig up all the information we can here, and then we’ll lay our plans. Who does most of the reading in this cabin?” “Hattie. Those books are all hers.” Dunbar waved a trembling hand toward the shelf over the table. The scout picked up an overturned chair, and seated himself. “Miss Perry was here, sitting in the rocking-chair by the lamp and reading,” said he. “Some one came here and took her and her father away by force. It hardly seems to me as though these cattle barons, lawless though they are, would have dared to go to such extremes. They may be back of what has happened, but some of their hirelings did the work.” Dunbar reeled against the wall, and caught his head in his hands. “Tact and diplomacy!” he bitterly exclaimed. “How can you use weapons like those against such a pack of scoundrels? Cold steel is what they need! By Heaven, it’s only a two hours’ gallop to Benner’s! I’ll go there and make him answer for this!” The cowboy jumped from the wall, and started for the door. “Dunbar!” There was a compelling note in the scout’s voice. The cowboy halted, and turned his haggard face. “Sit down!” ordered the scout. “If I and my pards are to help you, I want you to keep a cool head, and not go off on any fool tangent. You can be of assistance to me--but only by showing a different spirit.” “Buffalo Bill,” cried Dunbar, “if you had seen the Perrys tramped on and mistreated as I have, you’d be murder mad just as I am over this last outrage.” “Two wrongs never made a right, Nate.” “Right! Who talks of right on the Brazos? These barons are jumping on right and justice rough shod, and what they need is a taste of their own medicine.” “They’ll get it, Nate, but they’ll get it in my way. There’ll be no parlor tactics, and when we hit it will be straight from the shoulder. But this talk of cold steel begs the whole question. Sit down and be sensible.” Dunbar, with an effort, got the whip hand of himself. “Isn’t there any one living in the cabin but Perry and his daughter?” went on the scout. “No. I’ve been putting up here along with Dick and Hattie.” “Where are the cowboys?”