“He ain’t scaring me off any,” declared Yorky.  “He’s a spy, and he’s getting what is coming to him.  But you’re a stranger too, Johnson.  I don’t trust you any—­ not any farther than I can see you, my friend.  I’ll stand for being an aider and abettor, but I reckon if there’s any hanging to be done you’ll have to be the sheriff,” replied Yorky stiffly.

Struve turned his sinister face on one and another of them.  His lips were drawn back, so that the wolfish teeth gleamed in the moonlight.  He felt himself being driven into a trap, from which there was no escape.  He dared not let Fraser go with his life, for he knew that, sooner or later, the ranger would run him to earth, and drag him back to the punishment that was awaiting him in the South.  Nor did he want to shoulder the responsibility of murdering this man before five witnesses.

Came the sound of running footsteps.

“What’s that?” asked Slim nervously.

“Where are you, Steve?” called a voice.

“Here,” the ranger shouted back.

A moment later Dick France burst into the group.  “What’s doing?” he panted.

The ranger laughed hardily.  “Nothing, Dick.  Nothing at all.  Some of the boys had notions of a necktie party, but they’re a little shy of sand.  Have you met Mr. Struve, Dick?  I know you’re acquainted with the others, Mr. Struve is from Yuma.  An old friend of mine.  Fact is, I induced him to locate at Yuma.”

Dick caught at the rope, but Yorky flung him roughly back.

“This ain’t your put in, France,” he said.  “It’s up to Johnson.”  And to the latter:  “Get busy, if you’re going to.”

“He’s a spy on you-all, just the same as he is on me,” blurted the convict.

“That’s a lie, Struve,” pronounced the lieutenant evenly.  “I’m going to take you back with me, but I’ve got nothing against these men.  I want to announce right now, no matter who tells a different story, that I haven’t lost any Squaw Creek raiders and I’m not hunting any.”

“You hear?  He came into this valley after me.”

“Wrong again, Struve.  I didn’t know you were here.  But I know now, and I serve notice that I’m going to take you back with me, dead or alive.  That’s what I’m paid for, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

It was amazing to hear this man, with a rope round his neck, announce calmly what he was going to do to the man who had only to pull that rope to send him into eternity.  The very audacity of it had its effect.

Slim spoke up.  “I don’t reckon we better go any farther with this thing, Yorky.”

“No, I don’t reckon you had,” cut in Dick sharply.  “I’ll not stand for it.”

Again the footsteps of a running man reached them.  It was Siegfried.  He plunged into the group like a wild bull, shook the hair out of his eyes, and planted himself beside Fraser.  With one backward buffet of his great arm he sent Johnson heels over head.  He caught Yorky by the shoulders, strong man though the latter was, and shook him till his teeth rattled, after which he flung him reeling a dozen yards to the ground.  The Norwegian was reaching for Dick when Fraser stopped him.