As has been said, the right of justice and fair-dealing was the very backbone of the cattle-raising industry, and owners depended almost entirely upon other men's recognition of it to insure them any profits in the fall. For this reason six of the eleven men were in favor of letting Larkin go. The matter rested with the majority vote and was about to be put to the final ballot when Mike Stelton got on his feet and asked if he might put a few questions. Bissell, only too eager for any delay or interruption that might change the sentiment of the majority, granted the request. Stelton's dark face was illumined for a moment with a crafty smile, and then he said: "Yuh know a man by the name of Smithy Caldwell, don't yuh?" "Yes," said Bud, cautiously, not seeing quite where the question might lead. "He was in that stampede with yuh, wasn't he?" "Yes." "He was one of the party sent out to string yuh up, wasn't he?" This time there was a long hesitation as Bud tried vainly to catch the drift of the other's interrogation. "Yes," he answered slowly at last. "Well, then, he must have been one of the rustlers," cried Stelton in a triumphant voice, turning to the rest of the men, who were listening intently. "All right, I admit it," remarked Larkin coolly. "I don't see where that is taking you." "Just keep yore shirt on an' yuh will in a minute," retorted Stelton. "Now just one or two more questions. "Do you remember the first night Caldwell came to the Bar T ranch?" Larkin did not answer. A premonition that he was in the toils of this man concerning that dark thing in his past life smote him with a chill of terror. He remembered wondering that very night whether or not Stelton had been listening to his talk with Caldwell. Then the recollection suddenly came to him that, even though he had heard, the foreman could not expose the thing that was back of it all. Once more he regained his equilibrium. "Yes, I remember that night," he said calmly. "All right!" snapped Stelton, his words like pistol-shots. "Then yuh remember that Smithy Caldwell got five hundred dollars from yuh after a talk by the corral, don't you?" "Yes," replied Larkin, in immense relief that Stelton had not mentioned the blackmail. "Well, then, gents," cried the foreman with the air of a lawyer making a great point, "yuh have the admission from Larkin that he gave money secretly to one of the rustlers. If that ain't connivance and ackchul support I'm a longhorn heifer." He sat down on the grass triumphantly. It seemed to Bud Larkin as though some gigantic club had descended on the top of his head and numbed all his senses. Careful as he had been, this wily devil had led him into a labyrinthic maze of questions, the end of which was a concealed precipice. And, like one of his own sheep, he had leaped over it at the leader's call!