They reached the flat near the corrals. West breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly the engine gave two long, shrill whistles! The hills caught the sound and hurled it back and forth again and again, as if the very fiends of the mountains were exultant at the terror of the dumb beasts! With a snort every head and tail went up; all seemed possessed with the instinct of flight from some dreadful danger. Wheeling, they plunged up the steep hillside. Every man knew instantly what to do. Three sent their spurs into the tired horses and urged them up the hill to head off the bellowing, frenzied herd. The horses intuitively knew that there was trouble, and were filled with new vim. With red nostrils and wet flanks, out of breath they gained the position and successfully turned the terrified animals again down the hill. On they rushed, snorting, bellowing, plunging, completely enveloped in a cloud of dust. West and Fletcher rode on to head them off, and now saw, as the dust subsided a little, that the wild things had begun already to go ‘round and round.’ If they should now get to milling, doubtless many of them would be crushed to death! Fletcher, seeing an opening, made a desperate attempt to take it, but his wise pony wheeled, but not quickly enough to evade the scratch of a sharp horn. West, with a merciless dig of the spur that caused the blood to spurt from the horse’s side, made it leap clear off the ground and come down on four stiffened legs in the only open space among the steers. Practiced rider tho’ he was, he bounded high in the air, losing his hat and nearly losing the saddle. With swinging lariats, with hoarse shouts, with shots and yells, at last the circling herd were checked and slowly began to fall into line and through the openings into the corrals. When the last steer was safely behind the strong enclosure of the stockyards, West turned to his foreman with a face that showed desperate determination through the grime of dust and perspiration. “You better go with the boys and get ready for supper. I have a little matter of business to attend to first.” Turning to the others, lifting his bare head high, and with a look of approval in his flashing eyes, he said, “Boys, you have proven yourselves equal to any occasion! I’m proud of each one of you!” He waited till the cheers and waving hats of the cowboys had subsided, waited till he saw them lead the horses, with now drooping heads, to shelter and food, waited for James to follow the others, and then rode his horse over to the station platform. Riding up on the platform he rapped on the window with the loaded end of his quirt, and motioned to the man inside to come out. In a low, tense voice he asked: “Where’s the shipping agent?” “I’m your man,” came from a large bunch of corduroys. “I’m the shipper of that bunch of cattle in the yards. Perhaps you saw our averted catastrophe. Instruct your engineers hereafter to avoid whistles when wild steers are being driven.”