“I don’t like this,” she said sharply. She caught Robin by the arm. “I don’t want you to go out there and meet that man. You mustn’t.” Robin shrugged his shoulders. “I got to meet him here an’ there, sometime,” said he. “I never did really side-step him. I surely won’t now.” “Listen, my girl,” Sutherland frowned. “I’m boss of this layout. There’ll be no private wars started here. There may be some talk but there’ll be no shootin’. Tyler’s right. He can’t side-step. There’s a matter of business to be talked about. You leave keepin’ peace between these two to me.” May smiled and kissed her father brightly. Robin marveled at her easy assurance. He doubted even Adam Sutherland’s power to avert a clash if Shining Mark made a move. That, it seemed to Robin, was a little beyond even a cattle king in the heart of his own domain. “You run along, now,” Sutherland told his daughter. She obeyed at once. Robin moved toward the door. Almost instinctively he gave a little hitch forward to the gun scabbard on his belt. Sutherland stopped him with an imperative gesture. “You heard what I said.” His tone was pitched low, but lacked none of its habitual authority. “Don’t you make no breaks. _He_ won’t. You let me walk out ahead.” Robin gave way to him. He didn’t know what was coming, but he was ready for anything. If a little tension seized him he was nevertheless alert, mentally and physically prepared for the unexpected. Shining Mark greeted him as casually as if nothing had ever risen between them. Robin looked at him in silence. He couldn’t simulate that indifference. He wouldn’t pretend. He kept his eye on Steele and his mouth shut. Mark shrugged his shoulders, looked at his employer. “What I wanted to ask you,” Sutherland turned to him and spoke, “was what you’re doin’ on my range with the J7 round-up?” “Oh, well----” Robin scarcely hesitated. This was as good an opening as he wanted. It seemed almost as if Sutherland had made it for a purpose. He couldn’t possibly know what Robin was there for, but he could not have led up to Robin’s opening gun more directly. “As a matter of fact I ambled up here partly to ask you if you had any objection to me combing your range--and partly to see if I could make a little deal in cows with you. I bought a bunch of cattle the other day. That’s what I’m doin’ this side the river; gatherin’ ’em. I wouldn’t mind sellin’ ’em to you. I only bought them on spec.” Sutherland stared at him for a few seconds and Robin wondered if he would turn and rend him or follow the lead--if he would understand by any chance what Robin was driving at. “I’ll buy cows any time the price is right,” he said indifferently. “You’re sort of expandin’, aren’t you? What you got to sell?” “The T Bar S brand. There’s a lot of ’em clutterin’ up your range.” “If I don’t buy you out,” Sutherland inquired, “what do you aim to do with ’em?”