“How gents come in these parts,” he said with deliberate scorn, “I dunno.  And I don’t care a damn.  If they brush their foreman’s boots and saddle his hosses for him, they can go ahead and do it.  But I come up here to catch a wild hoss that the gents in the Valley of the Eagles couldn’t get.  That’s my job, and nothing else.”

The growl of his cowpunchers was sweetest music to the ear of Lew Hervey.  He glanced at them as much as to say:  “You see what I got on my hands?” Then he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“You’re young, kid,” he declared.  “When you grow up you’ll know better’n to talk like this.  But cowpunchers we ain’t going to make no trouble for you.  But I’ll tell you short, Perris, you’ll go out and rope that hoss or else roll your blankets and clear out.  Understand?  I was joking when I asked you to rope the hoss first.  I wanted to see what sort were.  Well, I see, and I don’t like what I see.”

“Hervey,” began Perris, trembling with his passion “Hervey—­”

“Wait a minute,” said the foreman, “I know your kind.  You sign your name with bullets.  You pay your way with lead.  You bully a crowd by fingering a gun-butt.  Well, son, that sort of thing don’t go in the Valley of the Eagles.  Lay a hand on that gun and I’ll have the boys tie you in knots and roll you in a barrel of tar we got handy.  Perris, get that hoss for me, or get out!”

Red Perris sat down on the edge of his bunk.  He made no move towards his revolver.  Indeed, it lay almost arm’s length away.  Almost—­everyone noted that.  He crossed his legs and his glance wandered slowly up and down the line of grim faces.

“Partner,” he said softly to Hervey, “I’m not going to get the hoss and I’m not going to get out.  The next move is up to you.  Is it tar?”

For a moment Hervey was dazed.  No one could have foreseen such daredeviltry as this.  At the same time, he was badly cornered.  If his men rushed Red Perris, Red Perris would get his gun.  And if Red Perris got his gun the first shot would be for Hervey.

“Hold on, boys,” he called suddenly, above the angry curses of his men, “I’m not going to risk one of you in getting this fool.  Miss Jordan hired him.  She can fire him if I can’t.  Which we’ll find out pronto.  Slim, go get her, will you?”

Slim jumped through the door.  They heard his footsteps fade away at a run.  And then, after an interval of steady silence, his voice began in the distance, replying to sharp, hurried inquiries of Marianne.  In another moment Marianne was in the bunkhouse.  Her glance shot from Hervey to Perris and back again.

“I knew you’d be up to something like this!” she cried.  “I knew it, Lew Hervey!”

Hervey made a gesture of surrender.

“Ask the boys,” he pleaded.  “Ask them if I didn’t try to go easy with him.  But he’s all teeth.  He wants to bite.  And we ain’t going to put up with that sort of a gent here, I guess!  I’ve ordered him off the ranch.  Does that go with you?”