“Nope,” answered the cowman promptly. But immediately he modified his statement to add that he had seen two men riding toward Dry Creek a couple of hours ago. “They was going kinder slow. Looked to me sorter like one of them was hurt and the other was helping him out,” he volunteered. The sheriff looked significantly at one of his men and nodded. “You didn’t recognize the horses, I reckon?” “Come to think of it, one of the ponies did look like Jim’s roan. What’s up, boys? Anything doing?” “Nothing particular. We want to see Jim, that’s all. So long.” What Henderson had guessed was the truth. The continuous hard riding had been too much for Bannister and his wound had opened anew. They were at the time only a few miles from a shack on Dry Creek, where the Lazy D punchers sometimes put up. McWilliams had attended the wound as best he could, and after a few hours’ rest had headed for the cabin in the hills. They were compelled to travel very slowly, since the motion kept the sheepman’s wound continually bleeding. But about noon they reached the refuge they had been seeking and Bannister lay down on the bunk with their saddle blankets under him. He soon fell asleep, and Mac took advantage of this to set out on a foraging expedition to a ranch not far distant. Here he got some bread, bacon, milk and eggs from a man he could trust and returned to his friend. It was dark by the time he reached the cabin. He dismounted, and with his arms full of provisions pushed into the hut. “Awake, Bann?” he asked in a low voice. The answer was unexpected. Something heavy struck his chest and flung him back against the wall. Before he could recover his balance he was pinioned fast. Four men had hurled themselves upon him. “We’ve got you, Jim. Not a mite o’ use resisting,” counseled the sheriff. “Think I don’t savez that? I can take a hint when a whole Methodist church falls on me. Who are y’u, anyhow?” “Somebody light a lantern,” ordered Burns. By the dim light it cast Mac made them out, and saw Ned Bannister gagged and handcuffed on the bed. He knew a moment of surprise when his eyes fell on Reddy. “So it was y’u brought them here, Red?” he said quietly. Contrary to his own expectations, the gentleman named was embarrassed “The sheriff, he summoned me to serve,” was his lame defense. “And so y’u threw down your friends. Good boy!” “A man’s got to back the law up, ain’t he?” Mac turned his shoulder on him rather pointedly. “There isn’t any need of keeping that gag in my friend’s mouth any longer,” he suggested to Burns. “That’s right, too. Take it out, boys. I got to do my duty, but I don’t aim to make any gentleman more uncomfortable than I can help. I want everything to be pleasant all round.” “I’m right glad to hear that, Burns, because my friend isn’t fit to travel. Y’u can take me back and leave him out here with a guard,” the foreman replied quickly. “Sorry I can’t accommodate you, Jim, but I got to take y’u both with me.”