"That's what he has, Dave," said the foreman, solemnly. "An' I hope you don't ever forget that. There's not many folks--not even a fellow's real ones--who can beat th' Old Man. He's th' real stuff an' twenty-four carats fine every time." Together they urged the now quieted cattle toward the corral. "As I was sayin'," resumed Focus Pete, "I come over here on a little errand for th' Old Man, an' I thought I'd take a run out here an' see about the prize bunch. It's good I did." "I should say so!" Dave exclaimed, fervently. "Wasn't there any one to help you?" asked Pocus Pete. "Not a soul. I did see Len Molick riding off--sneaking away. I called to him, but he didn't answer." "How did they break out?" Pete asked next. "That's what's puzzling me," replied the younger cowboy. "Say! Look there!" suddenly called Pete, pointing. "That's how they got out. A section of th' corral fence is down." "The gate didn't come open at all," said Dave. "The steers pushed down the fence." "Drive 'em through the opening," directed Pete, and this was done. As the last of the cattle passed in, Pete and Dave stood on guard astride their ponies to prevent the animals stampeding out again, and Dave looked at the broken fence. What he saw caused him to cry out: "Look here, Pete! Some of those posts have been sawed almost through!" "By the great side saddle!" exclaimed the foreman. "You're right, Dave! There's been treachery here!" CHAPTER VI A CRY FOR HELP Together, Dave and Pocus Pete examined the posts of the corral fence. There was no doubt but that some of them had been partly sawed through, in order to weaken them so that only a moderate pressure was required to break them off short, close to the ground. "So that was his game; eh?" exclaimed Dave in a justifiably angry voice. "Whose game?" asked Pocus Pete. "Len's! That's why he wouldn't stop to help me. He had been here sawing through the posts so our best bunch of cattle would get out and be spoiled. The hound! Wait until I get hold of him!" "Better go a bit slow," advised Pocus Pete, in his drawling tones. "Slow! What do you mean?" "Well, I mean it isn't a good thing t' go around makin' accusations like that, without somethin' t' back 'em up. In this country you've got t' back up what you say, Dave." "I know that, but--" "An' what evidence have you got that Len did this mean trick? For mean trick it is, as shore as guns is guns. What evidence have you?" "Why, didn't I see him riding away as fast as his horse could gallop just a little while ago?" "Well, s'posin' you did. That's no evidence in a court of law. You didn't see him saw the posts; did you?"