Ross's fists doubled involuntarily. Seeing this, Brown's voice changed. "Better fergit it, son. Chuck the hull matter. Ye've lost and they've won; and, if what I hear of the McKenzies is true, it won't do ye no good t' keep thinkin' of this. And when ye git down t' Camp I wouldn't tell the first man I seen about this, nuther----" "Because," Leslie broke in hotly, "they'd laugh at us for staying here so near Camp all winter." Brown made no reply, but a slow grin expressed his opinion. "I say, Less," Ross broke out, "we don't look any bigger to ourselves than we did when we found out what that blast under the Ledge had done for us, do we?" But Leslie did not hear. He sat with his elbows on his knees scowling down at the floor. "If we're that near Camp," he reasoned, "it was surely one of the McKenzies that came up to see if we were here yet that night that I fired. He chose a night, you remember, when the snow was light and the crust icy. No tracks left for us to follow." Their visitor asked for no explanation to this. He was studying Ross's face intently as the boy sat leaning forward, his hands clasped around his knees. "I say!" the older man broke out suddenly. "Ye look almighty like a feller that rode up in the stage from Meeteetse yisterday--almighty like 'im. They was two of 'em. They got out at Amos Steele's." "Where did they come from?" asked Ross absently. "I dunno. Sheepy Luther said they was Easterners." "Sheepy Luther!" exclaimed Ross. "I know Sheepy. His wagon set on the hill just back of the stage camp when I was there with Weston." "Is that so? Wall, Sheepy is down on his luck. He's too old t' chase sheep, and last winter he lost five hundred or thereabouts; so he got his walkin' papers. He come up yisterday. Stopped at Steele's t' try t' git a job with the Gale's Ridge Company. Steele may take 'im on to wrangle the hosses, but he can't do more'n a boy's work. He's done fer; only he don't know it." In the pause which followed Brown again studied Ross. "This feller," he began again suddenly, "was a bigger man than ye be; but I vum, ye're alike even t' the way ye squint up yer eyes and mouth, 'n'----" Ross came to his feet alertly, his interest at last aroused. "His name?" he demanded eagerly. Brown shook his head. "Didn't hear no names except the front ones. They called each other 'Ross' 'n' 'Fred.'" "Uncle Fred and father!" shouted Ross excitedly. "They came up yesterday, you say, and stopped at Gale's Ridge!" CHAPTER XIX AN UNEXPECTED VICTORY