“All gone--but me. They were scared off by the barons--scared off or bought off, I don’t know which. When I failed to get back yesterday, maybe Dick and Hattie thought I’d been bought off, too.” “No, they didn’t. I’ve only known you for a few hours, Dunbar, but even that short acquaintance has convinced me that you’ve no yellow streak in your make-up. Perry and his daughter have known you a good deal longer than I have, and they’d never think you had turned traitor to their interests. How many cattle have you and Perry?” “Perry came in here with a thousand head, but there’s no telling how many of our brand we could round up now. The herd has been rustled right and left.” The scout was thoughtful for a few moments. “What sort of a man is Perry?” he asked finally. “The clear quill and as straight as a die.” “Fighter?” “As game a fighter as you can find. If he hadn’t been he’d have left the Brazos a month ago. But he’s too honest, too finely strung to handle a gang like the cattle barons, even if he had a large enough force behind him. Perry is an educated man, Buffalo Bill.” “So I imagined. He hasn’t made the other cattlemen think that he’s better than they are, has he?” “Not on your life! That ain’t Perry’s style. He’d be neighborly, if they’d let him.” “I don’t believe,” said the scout, “that Perry was here when his daughter was taken away. There’d have been shooting, wouldn’t there?” “Right off the reel,” answered Dunbar promptly. “Perry would have gone any length to defend himself.” “There are no signs to indicate that revolvers were used. I suppose Perry kept his guns handy?” “Always--since the barons turned loose on him.” “Then here’s the way I figure it: You failed to come back to the cabin yesterday. Perry and Hattie believed that you had been trapped by Benner’s men. Perry went off to look for you. While he was gone, the trouble happened here. Perry may get back any minute, Dunbar, and then he can help us do our planning. Are there any horses in the corral?” “No.” The cowboy was moody. He could see the logic of the scout’s suggestions, but he was not in a temper to be sanguine over results. “How far is Benner’s ranch from here?” asked the scout. “Twenty miles.” Dunbar showed some interest. “Are you thinking of going over there?” “Not yet. We’ll give Perry a chance to get back here first. How long have you been hooked up with Perry, Nate?” “Nearly a year. I came here from the Panhandle country, and Perry had just bought out the Star-A steers. He wanted a foreman, and I took hold. Later on, when I saw how the other cattlemen were layin’ for him, I dropped a thousand-dollar stake into the pot. It was all I had. I reckoned, though, that I’d show Benner he had two to buck against. He had tried to hire me away from Perry, and the thousand I put up here was an answer to that.”