Silver shrugged his shoulders. “I played safe, Buck. Today I came across the hills and I’ll stay here until dark. I don’t know what Reber wants.” “He’s still crippled, and that girl is nursin’ him. She’s makin’ a play for Reber.” “Pretty girl, Buck?” Priest nodded. “Yeah, pretty as a picture. But what do yuh suppose Reber wants of you?” “I dunno.” “Are you goin’ to take a chance on him, Jack?” “I’ll see what he wants.” “It might be a scheme to harm yuh, Jack.” “Might be. But as far as that’s concerned, if they want to kill me they can pick me off most any time.” “That’s true,” agreed Priest. “We’ll all ride in after supper, Jack. If things go wrong, we’ll do what we can.” “And if Reber finds you in town he’ll set his dogs on yuh,” said Silver grimly. “I’ll have my dogs along,” replied Buck meaningly. “We went into the Tomahawk and came out safe enough. But I was drunk, Jack. It wasn’t a job for a sober man. We sure shocked that gang a-plenty.” “I wish I had been there,” smiled Jack. “I’ve never been in the Tomahawk.” “It’s not a safe place, Jack; and maybe you’ll find it out tonight.” * * * * * None of Reber’s foremen knew why he had sent for them. Some of them were obliged to ride the length of the valley, but they were all there--Patterson, Jackson, McLeese, Carlin and Franks. McLeese was drunk; not blind drunk by any manner of means, but inclined to be quarrelsome. Park Reber was out of bed, and met them in the big living-room, a huge place forty feet long and twenty-five feet wide. Around two sides of this huge room was a wide veranda. At one end was a doorway leading out on to the veranda; and there was another doorway about fifteen feet from the corner, on the side. About midway of the room was a big window, and there were two windows at the front end. Across this front end of the room was a long table and a number of chairs. On the opposite side of the room from the side entrance was a huge fireplace, capable of taking ten-foot logs. Most of the furnishings were of the home-made variety, and the floors were strewn with bright-colored Navajo rugs and the skins of wolf and grizzly. The walls were darkened with smoke and age. The five foremen came in together. Reber seated them around the big table, he himself sitting at the head of the table, still a trifle pale, unable to use his left arm. At his right sat June Meline. She received several undisguised scowls. Beside her sat Franks of the M 33. At the opposite end of the table sat McLeese, scowling at everybody, and June in particular. He did not like the idea of having a woman at their conference. On the other side of the table sat Patterson, Jackson and Carlin. Reber’s glance swept around the table and came to rest on McLeese. “You’re drunk,” he said shortly. “Why?” McLeese grimaced and tried to laugh it off, but Reber’s eyes bored into him and he coughed a little. “I wanted sober men at this meetin’,” said Reber.