Every one listened in strained silence. Baxter had joined the party contrary to orders to see the fun. “Dawson’s,” Scott replied, looking straight at the ranger. Every eye was turned on Dawson in amazement. Scott could not help but admire the man’s magnificent nerve. The accusation must have come as a complete surprise to him, but not an eyelash quivered. He looked at Scott as though in surprised amusement. “Mine?” he asked smiling. “I guess your success has gone to your head. How do you make that out?” “I happen to know,” Scott said looking Dawson calmly in the eye, “that you are Jed Clark’s partner in the sheep business, that you recommended Heth as a patrolman on this district knowing him to be Dugan, a crook, and Jed’s foreman, and that you planned this whole thing from start to finish.” There was a gasp of astonishment from every one except Dawson. Mr. Ramsey looked from Scott to Dawson in utter bewilderment. “You are either going crazy or are a most magnificent liar,” Dawson responded coldly. “You have made some statements here that you either have to prove or answer to me for.” A deadly hatred blazed for a moment in the ranger’s face, but he quickly controlled it. He turned calmly to the supervisor. “I demand an investigation of this thing from start to finish.” The supervisor was clearly at a loss. The ranger’s reputation during his past eight years of service was such that he could not believe that there was any possible foundation for the charges, and yet Scott had shown a remarkable skill in unraveling this matter so far and seemed confident of his charges. “We shall certainly have to investigate it,” he said. “You understand, of course, Burton, that you will be obliged to prove fully all the charges that you have made.” “I have the proof,” Scott said quietly, “and can produce it whenever it is needed.” “Very well, I’ll notify you when the hearing will be held. Jed, your permits are of course cancelled, but we’ll have to let those sheep stay on here to keep them from starving till you have a chance to dispose of them. I want you to come down to the office with me, Dawson, to clear up some other matters there. You can stay here, Burton, and look after your district as usual. You have done a magnificent job in handling this problem so far and I congratulate you. Come on, fellows.” Mr. Ramsey was evidently anxious to get Jed and Dawson away from Scott. He, too, had caught the look of hatred and he was afraid it might blaze out any minute in open violence. He rode off toward the chute with the two stockmen and left Scott with Baxter who was eagerly waiting to hear an account of everything he had missed. CHAPTER XV THE MAN HUNT “Gee,” Baxter exclaimed when he heard the story. “You certainly are the lucky one. All that doing in your first week. It’s more excitement than I have had in the past two years.”