\"Wal，boys，I’lltellthewomen，\"hesaid。\"Shoreyouneedn’tworrynoneabootthem。They’llbegame。\"
Jeanrodeawaytoanopenknollashortdistancefromthehouse，andherehestationedhimselftowatchallpoints。ThecedaredridgebackoftheranchwastheoneapproachbywhichJorth’sgangmightcomeclosewithoutbeingdetected，butevenso，Jeancouldseethemandridetothehouseintimetopreventasurprise。Themomentsdraggedby，andattheendofanhourJeanwasinhopesthatBlaisdellwouldsooncome。Thesehopeswerewellfounded。Presentlyheheardaclatterofhoofsonhardgroundtothesouth，anduponwheelingtolookhesawthefriendlyneighborcomingfastalongtheroad，ridingabigwhitehorse。Blaisdellcarriedarifleinhishand，andthesightofhimgaveJeanaglowofwarmth。HewasoneoftheTexanswhowouldstandbytheIsbelstothelastman。Jeanwatchedhimridetothehouse——watchedthemeetingbetweenhimandhislifelongfriend。
TherefloatedouttoJeanoldBlaisdell’sroarofrage。
ThenoutonthegreenofGrassValley，wherealong，swellingplainsweptawaytowardthevillage，thereappearedamovingdarkpatch。
Abunchofhorses！Jean’sbodygaveaslightstart——theshockofsuddenpropulsionofbloodthroughallhisveins。Thosehorsesboreriders。Theywerecomingstraightdowntheopenvalley，onthewagonroadtoIsbel’sranch。Nosubterfugenorsecrecynorsneakinginthatadvance！AhotthrillranoverJean。
\"ByHeaven！Theymeanbusiness！\"hemuttered。UptothelastmomenthehadunconsciouslyhopedJorth’sgangwouldnotcomeboldlylikethat。
TheverificationsofallaTexan’sinheritedinstinctsleftnodoubts，nohopes，noillusions——onlyagrimcertaintythatthiswasnotconjecturenorprobability，butfact。ForamomentlongerJeanwatchedtheslowlymovingdarkpatchofhorsemenagainstthegreenbackground，thenhehurriedbacktotheranch。Hisfathersawhimcoming——strodeoutasbefore。
\"Dad——Jorthiscomin’，\"saidJean，huskily。Howhehatedtobeforcedtotellhisfatherthat！Theboyishloveofoldhadflashedup。
\"Whar？\"demandedtheoldman，hiseaglegazesweepingthehorizon。
\"DowntheroadfromGrassValley。Youcan’tseefromhere。\"
\"Wal，comeinan’let’sgetready。\"
Isbel’shousehadnotbeenconstructedwiththeideaofrepellinganattackfromabandofApaches。Thelonglivingroomofthemaincabinwastheoneselectedfordefenseandprotection。Thisroomhadtwowindowsandadoorfacingthelane，andadoorateachend，oneofwhichopenedintothekitchenandtheotherintoanadjoiningandlater—builtcabin。Thelogsofthismaincabinwereoflargesize，andthedoorsandwindowcoveringswereheavy，affordingsaferprotectionfrombulletsthantheothercabins。
WhenJeanwentinheseemedtoseeahostofwhitefacesliftedtohim。
HissisterAnn，histwosisters—in—law，thechildren，allmutelywatchedhimwitheyesthatwouldhaunthim。
\"Wal，Blaisdell，JeansaysJorthan’hispreciousgangofrustlersareonthewayheah，\"announcedtherancher。
\"Damnmeifit’snotabaddayferLeeJorth！\"declaredBlaisdell。
\"Clearoffthattable，\"orderedIsbel，\"an’fetchoutallthegunsan’shellswegot。\"
Oncelaiduponthetablethesepresentedaformidablearsenal，whichconsistedofthethreenew。44WinchestersthatJeanhadbroughtwithhimfromthecoast;theenormousbuffalo，orso—called\"needle\"gun，thatGastonIsbelhadusedforyears;aHenryriflewhichBlaisdellhadbrought，andhalfadozensix—shooters。Pilesandpackagesofammunitionlitteredthetable。
\"Sortouttheseheahshells，\"saidIsbel。\"Everybodywantstogetholdofhisown。\"
Jacobs，theneighborwhowaspresent，wasathick—set，beardedman，ratherjovialamongthoselean—jawedTexans。Hecarrieda。44rifleofanoldpattern。\"Wal，boys，ifI’dknowedwewasinfersomefunI’dhevfetchedmoreshells。Onlygotonemagazinefull。Mebbethemnew。44’swillfitmygun。\"
ItwasdiscoveredthattheammunitionJeanhadbroughtinquantityfittedJacob’srifle，afactwhichaffordedpeculiarsatisfactiontoallthemenpresent。
\"Wal，shorewe’relucky，\"declaredGastonIsbel。
Thewomensatapart，inthecomertowardthekitchen，andthereseemedtobeastrangefascinationfortheminthetalkandactionofthemen。
ThewifeofJacobswasalittlewoman，withhomelyfaceandverybrighteyes。Jeanthoughtshewouldbeahelpinthathouseholdduringthenextdoubtfulhours。
EverymomentJeanwouldgotothewindowandpeeroutdowntheroad。
Hiscompanionsevidentlyrelieduponhim，fornooneelselookedout。
Nowthatthesuspenseofdaysandweekswasover，theseTexansfacedtheissuewithtalkandactnotnoticeablydifferentfromthoseofordinarymoments。
AtlastJeanespiedthedarkmassofhorsemenoutinthevalleyroad。
Theywereclosetogether，walkingtheirmounts，andevidentlyinearnestconversation。AfterseveralineffectualattemptsJeancountedelevenhorses，everyoneofwhichhewassureborearider。
\"Dad，lookout！\"calledJean。
GastonIsbelstrodetothedoorandstoodlooking，withoutaword。
Theothermencrowdedtothewindows。Blaisdellcursedunderhisbreath。Jacobssaid:\"ByGolly！Cometopayusacall！\"Thewomensatmotionless，withdark，strainedeyes。Thechildrenceasedtheirplayandlookedfearfullytotheirmother。
Whenjustoutofrifleshotofthecabinsthebandofhorsemenhaltedandlinedupinahalfcircle，allfacingtheranch。TheywerecloseenoughforJeantoseetheirgestures，buthecouldnotrecognizeanyoftheirfaces。Itstruckhimsingularlythatnotoneofthemworeamask。
\"Jean，doyouknowanyofthem？\"askedhisfather\"No，notyet。They’retoofaroff。\"
\"Dad，I’llgetyouroldtelescope，\"saidGuyIsbel，andheranouttowardtheadjoiningcabin。
Blaisdellshookhisbig，hoaryheadandrumbledoutofhisbull—likeneck，\"Wal，nowyou’reheah，yousheepfellars，whatareyougoin’
todoabootit？\"
GuyIsbelreturnedwithayard—longtelescope，whichhepassedtohisfather。Theoldmantookitwithshakinghandsandleveledit。
Suddenlyitwasasifhehadbeentransfixed;thenheloweredtheglass，shakingviolently，andhisfacegrewgraywithanexceedingbitterwrath。
\"Jorth！\"heswore，harshly。
Jeanhadonlytolookathisfathertoknowthatrecognitionhadbeenlikeamortalshock。Itpassed。Againtherancherleveledtheglass。
\"Wal，Blaisdell，there’souroldTexasfriend，Daggs，\"hedrawled，dryly。
\"An’Greaves，ourhoneststorekeeperofGrassValley。An’there’sStonewallJacksonJorth。An’TadJorth，withthesameoldrednose！……An’，say，damnifoneofthatgangisn’tQueen，asbadagunfighterasTexaseverbred。ShoreIthoughthe’dbeenkilledintheBigBendcountry。SoIheard……An’there’sCraig，anotherrespectablesheepmanofGrassValley。Haw—haw！An’，wal，Idon’trecognizeanymoreofthem。\"
Jeanforthwithtooktheglassandmoveditslowlyacrossthefacesofthatgroupofhorsemen。\"SimmBruce，\"hesaid，instantly。\"IseeColter。And，yes，Greavesisthere。I’veseenthemannexttohim——facelikeaham……\"
\"ShorethatisCraig，\"interruptedhisfather。
JeanknewthedarkfaceofLeeJorthbytheresemblanceitboretoEllen’s，andtherecognitionbroughtatwinge。Hethought，too，thathecouldtelltheotherJorths。HeaskedhisfathertodescribeDaggsandthenQueen。ItwasnotlikelythatJeanwouldfailtoknowtheseseveralmeninthefuture。ThenBlaisdellaskedforthetelescopeand，whenhegotthroughlookingandcursing，hepasseditontoothers，who，onebyone，tookalonglook，untilfinallyitcamebacktotheoldrancher。
\"Wal，Daggsiswavin’hishandheahan’there，likeageneralaboottosendoutscouts。Haw—haw！……An’’pearstomehe’snotoverlookin’
ourhosses。Wal，that’snaturalforarustler。He’dhavetostealahossorasteerbeforegoin’intoafightortodinnerortoafuneral。\"
\"It’llbehisfuneralifhegoestofoolin’’roundthemhosses，\"
declaredGuyIsbel，peeringanxiouslyoutofthedoor。
\"Wal，son，shoreit’llbesomebody’sfuneral，\"repliedhisfather。
Jeanpaidbutlittleheedtotheconversation。Withsharpeyesfixeduponthehorsemen，hetriedtograspattheirintention。Daggspointedtothehorsesinthepasturelotthatlaybetweenhimandthehouse。
TheseanimalswerethebestontherangeandbelongedmostlytoGuyIsbel，whowasthehorsefancierandtraderofthefamily。Hishorseswerehispassion。
\"Lookslikethey’ddosomehorsestealin’，\"saidJean。
\"Lendmethatglass，\"demandedGuy，forcefully。Hesurveyedthebandofmenforalongmoment，thenhehandedtheglassbacktoJean。
\"I’mgoin’outthereaftermybosses，\"hedeclared。
\"No！\"exclaimedhisfather。
\"Thatgangcometostealan’nottofight。Can’tyouseethat？
Iftheymeanttofightthey’ddoit。They’reouttherearguin’
aboutmyhosses。\"
Guypickeduphisrifle。Helookedsullenlydeterminedandthegleaminhiseyewasoneoffearlessness。
\"Son，IknowDaggs，\"saidhisfather。\"An’IknowJorth。They’vecometokillus。It’llbeshoredeathfory’utogooutthere。\"
\"I’mgoin’，anyhow。Theycan’tstealmyhossesoutfromundermyeyes。
An’theyain’tinrange。\"
\"Wal，Guy，youain’tgoin’alone，\"spokeupJacobs，cheerily，ashecameforward。
Thered—hairedyoungwifeofGuyIsbelshowednochangeofhergraveface。Shehadbeenrearedinasternschool。Sheknewmenintimeslikethese。ButJacobs’swifeappealedtohim，\"Bill，don’triskyourlifeforahorseortwo。\"
Jacobslaughedandanswered，\"Notmuchrisk，\"andwentoutwithGuy。
ToJeantheiractionseemedfoolhardy。HekeptakeeneyeonthemandsawinstantlywhenthebandbecameawareofGuy’sandJacobs’sentranceintothepasture。IttookonlyanothersecondthentorealizethatDaggsandJorthhaddeadlyintent。JeansawDaggsslipoutofhissaddle，rifleinhand。Othersofthegangdidlikewise，untilhalfofthemweredismounted。
\"Dad，they’regoin’toshoot，\"calledoutJean，sharply。\"YellforGuyandJacobs。Makethemcomeback。\"
Theoldmanshouted;BillIsbelyelled;Blaisdellliftedhisstentorianvoice。
Jeanscreamedpiercingly:\"Guy！Run！Run！\"
ButGuyIsbelandhiscompanionstrodeonintothepasture，asiftheyhadnotheard，asifnomenacinghorsethieveswerewithinmiles。Theyhadcoveredaboutaquarterofthedistanceacrossthepasture，andwerenearingthehorses，whenJeansawredflashesandwhitepuffsofsmokeburstoutfromthefrontofthatdarkbandofrustlers。Thenfollowedthesharp，rattlingcrackofrifles。
GuyIsbelstoppedshort，and，droppinghisgun，hethrewuphisarmsandfellheadlong。Jacobsactedasifhehadsuddenlyencounteredaninvisibleblow。Hehadbeenhit。Turning，hebegantorunandranfastforafewpaces。Thereweremorequick，sharpshots。Heletgoofhisrifle。Hisrunningbroke。Walking，reeling，staggering，hekepton。
Ahoarsecrycamefromhim。Thenasinglerifleshotpealedout。Jeanheardthebulletstrike。Jacobsfelltohisknees，thenforwardonhisface。
JeanIsbelfelthimselfturnedtomarble。Thesuddennessofthistragedyparalyzedhim。Hisgazeremainedrivetedonthoseprostrateforms。
Ahandclutchedhisarm——ashakingwoman’shand，slimandhardandtense。
\"Bill’s——killed！\"whisperedabrokenvoice。\"Iwaswatchin’……They’rebothdead！\"
ThewivesofJacobsandGuyIsbelhadslippedupbehindJeanandfrombehindhimtheyhadseenthetragedy。
\"IaskedBill——notto——go，\"falteredtheJacobswoman，and，coveringherfacewithherhands，shegropedbacktothecomerofthecabin，wheretheotherwomen，shakingandwhite，receivedherintheirarms。
GuyIsbel’swifestoodatthewindow，peeringoverJean’sshoulder。
Shehadthenerveofaman。Shehadlookedoutupondeathbefore。
\"Yes，they’redead，\"shesaid，bitterly。\"An’howarewegoin’togettheirbodies？\"
AtthisGastonIsbelseemedtorousefromthecoldspellthathadtransfixedhim。
\"God，thisishellforourwomen，\"hecriedout，hoarsely。Myson——
myson！……MurderedbytheJorths！\"Thenhesworeaterribleoath。
Jeansawtheremainderofthemountedrustlersgetoff，andthen，allofthemleadingtheirhorses，theybegantomovearoundtotheleft。
\"Dad，they’removin’round，\"saidJean。
\"Uptosometrick，\"declaredBillIsbel。
\"Bill，youmakeaholethroughthebackwall，sayabootthefifthlogup，\"orderedthefather。\"Shorewe’vegottolookout。\"
Theeldersongraspedatooland，scatteringthechildren，whohadbeenplayingnearthebackcorner，hebegantoworkatthepointdesignated。Thelittlechildrenbackedawaywithfixed，wondering，graveeyes。Thewomenmovedtheirchairs，andhuddledtogetherasifwaitingandlistening。
Jeanwatchedtherustlersuntiltheypassedoutofhissight。Theyhadmovedtowardthesloping，brushygroundtothenorthandwestofthecabins。
\"Letmeknowwhenyougetaholeinthebackwall，\"saidJean，andhewentthroughthekitchenandcautiouslyoutanotherdoortoslipintoalow—roofed，shed—likeendoftheramblingcabin。Thissmallspacewasusedtostorewinterfirewood。Thechinksbetweenthewallshadnotbeenfilledwithadobeclay，andhecouldseeoutonthreesides。
Therustlersweregoingintothejuniperbrush。Theymovedoutofsight，andpresentlyreappearedwithouttheirhorses。ItlookedtoJeanasiftheyintendedtoattackthecabins。Thentheyhaltedattheedgeofthebrushandheldalongconsultation。Jeancouldseethemdistinctly，thoughtheyweretoofardistantforhimtorecognizeanyparticularman。Oneofthem，however，stoodandmovedapartfromthecloselymassedgroup。Evidently，fromhisstridesandgestures，hewasexhortinghislisteners。JeanconcludedthiswaseitherDaggsorJorth。Whoeveritwashadaloud，coarsevoice，andthisandhisactionsimpressedJeanwithasuspicionthatthemanwasundertheinfluenceofthebottle。
PresentlyBillIsbelcalledJeaninalowvoice。\"Jean，Igottheholemade，butwecan’tseeanyone。\"
\"Iseethem，\"Jeanreplied。\"They’rehavin’apowwow。LookstomelikeeitherJorthorDaggsisdrunk。He’sarguin’tochargeus，an’
therestofthegangareholdin’back……Telldad，an’allofyoukeepwatchin’。I’llletyouknowwhentheymakeamove。\"
Jorth’sgangappearedtobeinnohurrytoexposetheirplanofbattle。
Graduallythegroupdisintegratedalittle;someofthemsatdown;
otherswalkedtoandfro。Presentlytwoofthemwentintothebrush，probablybacktothehorses。Inafewmomentstheyreappeared，carryingapack。Andwhenthiswasdepositedonthegroundalltherustlerssatdownaroundit。Theyhadbroughtfoodanddrink。Jeanhadtoutteragrimlaughattheircoolness;andhewasremindedofmanydare—devildeedsknowntohavebeenperpetratedbytheHashKnifeGang。Jeanwasgladofareprieve。ThelongertherustlersputoffanattackthemoretimethealliesoftheIsbelswouldhavetogethere。Ratherhazardous，however，woulditbenowforanyonetoattempttogettotheIsbelcabinsinthedaytime。Nightwouldbemorefavorable。
TwiceBillIsbelcamethroughthekitchentowhispertoJean。Thestraininthelargeroom，fromwhichtherustlerscouldnotbeseen，musthavebeengreat。Jeantoldhimallhehadseenandwhathethoughtaboutit。
\"Eatin’an’drinkin’！\"ejaculatedBill。\"Well，I’llbe——！That’lljartheoldman。Hewantstogetthefightover。
\"TellhimIsaidit’llbeovertooquick——forus——unlessaremightycareful，\"repliedJean，sharply。
Billwentbackmutteringtohimself。Thenfollowedalongwait，fraughtwithsuspense，duringwhichJeanwatchedtherustlersregalethemselves。
Thedaywashotandstill。Andtheunnaturalsilenceofthecabinwasbrokennowandthenbythegaylaughterofthechildren。ThesoundshockedandhauntedJean。Playingchildren！Thenanothersound，sofainthehadtostraintohearit，disturbedandsaddenedhim——hisfather’sslowtreadupanddownthecabinfloor，toandfro，toandfro。
Whatmustbeinhisfather’sheartthisday！
Atlengththerustlersroseand，withriflesinhand，theymovedasonemandowntheslope。Theycameseveralhundredyardscloser，untilJean，grimlycockinghisrifle，mutteredtohimselfthatafewmorerodscloserwouldmeantheendofseveralofthatgang。Theyknewtherangeofariflewellenough，andoncemoresheeredoffatrightangleswiththecabin。WhentheygotevenwiththelineofcorralstheystoopeddownandwerelosttoJean’ssight。Thisfactcausedhimalarm。
Theywere，ofcourse，crawlinguponthecabins。Attheendofthatlineofcorralsranaditch，thebankofwhichwashighenoughtoaffordcover。Moreover，itranalonginfrontofthecabins，scarcelyahundredyards，anditwascoveredwithgrassandlittleclumpsofbrush，frombehindwhichtherustlerscouldfireintothewindowsandthroughtheclaychinkswithoutanyconsiderablerisktothemselves。
Astheydidnotcomeintosightagain，Jeanconcludedhehaddiscoveredtheirplan。Still，hewaitedawhilelonger，untilhesawfaint，littlecloudsofdustrisingfrombehindthefarendoftheembankment。Thatdiscoverymadehimrushout，andthroughthekitchentothelargecabin，wherehissuddenappearancestartledthemen。
\"Getbackoutofsight！\"heordered，sharply，andwithswiftstepshereachedthedoorandclosedit。\"They’rebehindthebankouttherebythecorrals。An’they’regoin’tocrawldowntheditchclosertous……Itlooksbad。They’llhavegrassan’brushtoshootfrom。
We’vegottobemightycarefulhowwepeepout。\"
\"Ahuh！Allright，\"repliedhisfather。\"Youwomenkeepthekidswithyouinthatcorner。An’youallbetterlaydownflat。\"
Blaisdell，BillIsbel，andtheoldmancrouchedatthelargewindow，peepingthroughcracksintheroughedgesofthelogs。Jeantookhispostbesidethesmallwindow，withhiskeeneyesvibratinglikeacompassneedle。Themovementofabladeofgrass，theflightofagrasshoppercouldnotescapehistrainedsight。
\"Looksharpnow！\"hecalledtotheothermen。\"Iseedust……
They’reworkin’alongalmosttothatbarespotonthebank……
Isawthetipofarifle……ablackhat……moredust。They’respreadin’alongbehindthebank。\"
Loudvoices，andthenthickcloudsofyellowdust，comingfrombehindthehighestandbrushiestlineoftheembankment，attestedtothetruthofJean’sobservation，andalsotoarecklessdisregardofdanger。
SuddenlyJeancaughtaglintofmovingcolorthroughthefringeofbrush。Instantlyhewasstrunglikeawhipcord。
Thenatall，hatlessandcoatlessmansteppedupinplainsight。
Thesunshoneonhisfair，ruffledhair。Daggs！
Hey，you————Isbels！\"hebawled，inmagnificentderisiveboldness。
\"Comeoutan’fight！\"
QuickaslightningJeanthrewuphisrifleandfired。HesawtuftsoffairhairflyfromDaggs’shead。Hesawthesquirtofredblood。
Thenquickshotsfromhis，comradesrangout。Theyallhittheswayingbodyoftherustler。ButJeanknewwithaterriblethrillthathisbullethadkilledDaggsbeforetheotherthreestruck。Daggsfellforward，hisarmsandhalfhisbodyrestingover，theembankment。
Thentherustlersdraggedhimbackoutofsight。Hoarseshoutsrose。
Acloudofyellowdustdriftedawayfromthespot。
\"Daggs！\"burstoutGastonIsbel。\"Jean，youknockedoffthetopofhishaid。IseenthatwhenIwaspullin’trigger。Shoreweoverheahwastedourshots。\"
\"God！hemusthavebeencrazyordrunk——topopupthere——an’braceusthatway，\"saidBlaisdell，breathinghard。
\"ArizonaisbadforTexans，\"repliedIsbel，sardonically。\"Shoreit’sbeentoopeacefulheah。Rustlershavenopracticeatfightin’。An’I
reckonDaggsforgot。\"
\"DaggsmadeascrazyamoveasthatofGuyan’Jacobs，\"spokeupJean。
\"Theywereoverbold，an’hewasdrunk。Letthembealessontous。\"
Jeanhadsmelledwhiskyuponhisentrancetothiscabin。Billwasaharddrinker，andhisfatherwasnotimmune。Blaisdell，too，drankheavilyuponoccasions。Jeanmadeamentalnotethathewouldnotpermittheirchancestobecomeimpairedbyliquor。
Riflesbegantocrack，andpuffsofsmokeroseallalongtheembankmentforthespaceofahundredfeet。Bulletswhistledthroughtherudewindowcasingandspatteredontheheavydoor，andonesplittheclaybetweenthelogsbeforeJean，narrowlymissinghim。Anothervolleyfollowed，thenanother。Therustlershadrepeatingriflesandtheywereemptyingtheirmagazines。Jeanchangedhisposition。Theothermenprofitedbyhiswisemove。Thevolleyshadmergedintoonecontinuousrattlingroarofrifleshots。Thencameasuddencessationofreports，withsilenceofrelief。Thecabinwasfullofdust，mingledwiththesmokefromtheshotsofJeanandhiscompanions。Jeanheardthestifledbreathsofthechildren。Evidentlytheywereterror—stricken，buttheydidnotcryout。Thewomenutterednosound。
Aloudvoicepealedfrombehindtheembankment。
\"Comeoutan’fight！DoyouIsbelswanttobekilledlikesheep？\"
Thissallygainednoreply。Jeanreturnedtohispostbythewindowandhiscomradesfollowedhisexample。Andtheyexercisedextremecautionwhentheypeepedout。
\"Boys，don’tshoottillyouseeone，\"saidGastonIsbel。\"Maybeafterawhilethey’llgetcareless。ButJorthwillnevershowhimself。\"
Therustlersdidnotagainresorttovolleys。Onebyone，fromdifferentangles，theybegantoshoot，andtheywerenotfiringatrandom。Afewbulletscamestraightinatthewindowstopatintothewalls;afewotherstickedandsplinteredtheedgesofthewindows;
andmostofthembrokethroughtheclaychinksbetweenthelogs。ItdawneduponJeanthatthesedangerousshotswerenotaccident。Theywerewellaimed，andmostofthemhitlowdown。Thecunningrustlershadsomeunerringriflemenandtheywerepickingoutthevulnerableplacesallalongthefrontofthecabin。IfJeanhadnotbeenlyingflathewouldhavebeenhittwice。Presentlyheconceivedtheideaofdrivingpegsbetweenthelogs，highup，and，kneelingonthese，hemanagedtopeepoutfromtheupperedgeofthewindow。Butthispositionwasawkwardanddifficulttoholdforlong。
Heheardabullethitoneofhiscomrades。Whoeverhadbeenstruckneverutteredasound。Jeanturnedtolook。BillIsbelwasholdinghisshoulder，whereredsplotchesappearedonhisshirt。HeshookhisheadatJean，evidentlytomakelightofthewound。Thewomenandchildrenwerelyingfacedownandcouldnotseewhatwashappening。
PlainiswasthatBilldidnotwantthemtoknow。Blaisdellboundupthebloodyshoulderwithascarf。
Steadyfiringfromtherustlerswenton，attherateofoneshoteveryfewminutes。TheIsbelsdidnotreturnthese。Jeandidnotfireagainthatafternoon。Towardsunset，whenthebesiegersappearedtogrowrestlessorcareless，Blaisdellfiredatsomethingmovingbehindthebrush;andGastonIsbel’shugebuffalogunboomedout。
\"Wal，what’retheygoin’todoafterdark，an’what’reWEgoin’
todo？\"grumbledBlaisdell。
\"Reckonthey’llneverchargeus，\"saidGaston。
\"Theymightsetfiretothecabins，\"addedBillIsbel。HeappearedtobethegloomiestoftheIsbelfaction。Therewassomethingonhismind。
\"Wal，theJorthsarebad，butIreckonthey’dnotburnusalive，\"
repliedBlaisdell。
\"Hah！\"ejaculatedGastonIsbel。\"MuchyouknowabootLeeJorth。
Hewouldskinmealivean’throwred—hotcoalsonmyrawflesh。\"
Sotheytalkedduringthehourfromsunsettodark。JeanIsbelhadlittletosay。Hewasrevolvingpossibilitiesinhismind。Darknessbroughtachangeintheattackoftherustlers。Theystationedmenatfourpointsaroundthecabins;andeveryfewminutesoneoftheseoutpostswouldfire。Thesebulletsembeddedthemselvesinthelogs，causingbutlittleanxietytotheIsbels。
\"Jean，whatyoumakeofit？\"askedtheoldrancher。
\"Lookstomethisway，\"repliedJean。\"They’resetforalongfight。
They’reshootin’justtoletusknowthey’reonthewatch。\"
\"Ahuh！Wal，what’reyougoin’todoabootit？\"
\"I’mgoin’outtherepresently。\"
GastonIsbelgruntedhissatisfactionatthisintentionofJean’s。
Allwaspitchdarkinsidethecabin。Thewomenhadwaterandfoodathand。Jeankeptasharplookoutfromhiswindowwhileheatehissupperofmeat，bread，andmilk。Atlastthechildren，wornoutbythelongday，fellasleep。Thewomenwhisperedalittleintheircorner。