"What d'ye want?" demanded Isham, walking to the edge of the bench and looking across at the runner, "what's the matter with you, anyhow?" "Your wife says to come home!" shouted the messenger. "They's been a big raid--all your horses are run off! And three of the boys was found hung!" "Hung!" echoed Isham, and every man in the party jumped up and ran to the rim. "What's that?" they clamored, and Hall and Allifair rose up to catch the startling news. "W'y, they was night-riders," explained the runner. "They wore masks and dressed like Injuns! Yes, come in at night and caught three boys standing guard! We found them hung to a tree! And they run off all your horses!" "Hell's fire!" exclaimed Isham, and stood staring across the canyon while his men gathered together in groups. "That was that sheepman, Grimes," whispered Hall to Allifair. "He's organized all those Mormons above the Rim." "Oh, will he come down here?" asked Allifair aghast. "Because Ewing and Cal----" "Maybe they'll leave, now," suggested Hall, and they listened again, for Isham was beginning to shout. "Which way'd they go?" he inquired, and when the man answered north he burst into a fit of cursing. "It's them dadburned Mormon ranchers!" he exclaimed, and started back for his horse. "Well, let's go, boys," he said, when they had gathered by the spring, "we can tend to McIvor afterward. But if any one wants to stay here I'll give one thousand dollars to the man that brings me his hair. He's the dirty, doggoned rascal that stirred up all this ruckus, but I can't stop to monkey with him now. Come on, Cal; ain't you coming with me?" "No!" answered Cal's voice and then, after a silence, "we didn't come out here to help you steal horses." "Oh, you didn't, eh?" railed Isham, his voice tense with excitement, "well, since when have you got to be so good? Jest the minute they's any trouble----" "We come out here to get our sister!" broke in Ewing's high voice. "And we're going to hunt till we find her." "Well, hunt and be damned to ye!" burst out Isham in a fury, and went spurring off down the trail. His cowboys followed after him, talking low among themselves, and Hall and Allifair crouched down and listened. "Well?" spoke up the voice which they recognized as Cal's; but Ewing did not reply. "Let's ask these Indians," went on Cal, "maybe they know of some trail. Hey!" he called, "come over here!" "What you want?" demanded the Indian in arrogant tones, and Cal asked about the trail up the chasm. "No good!" replied the Apache. "Go hup--steep! Go hup mo'--mo' steep! Bimby too steep--fall down. Me no likum. Go home." "Where you think this man go?" spoke up Ewing. "You find him, we give you two hundred dollars."