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"Arizona is bad for Texans," replied Isbel, sardonically "Shore it's been too peaceful heah Rustlers have no practice at fightin' An' I reckon Daggs forgot"

"Daggs made as crazy a move as that of Guy an' Jacobs," spoke up Jean "They were overbold, an' he was drunk Let them be a lesson to us"

Jean had smelled whisky upon his entrance to this cabin Bill was a hard drinker, and his father was not immune Blaisdell, too, drank heavily upon occasions Jean made a mental note that he would not peran to crack, and puffs of s the embankh the rudecasing and spattered on the heavy door, and one split the clay between the logs before Jean, narrowlyhim Another volley followed, then another The rustlers had repeating rifles and they were eed his position The other ed into one continuous rattling roar of rifle shots Then came a sudden cessation of reports, with silence of relief The cabin was full of dust, led with the smoke from the shots of Jean and his companions Jean heard the stifled breaths of the children Evidently they were terror-stricken, but they did not cry out The women uttered no sound

A loud voice pealed froht! Do you Isbels want to be killed like sheep?"

This sally gained no reply Jean returned to his post by theand his comrades followed his example And they exercised extreme caution when they peeped out

"Boys, don't shoot till you see one," said Gaston Isbel "Maybe after a while they'll get careless But Jorth will never show himself"

The rustlers did not again resort to volleys One by one, froan to shoot, and they were not firing at randoht in at the s to pat into the walls; a few others ticked and splintered the edges of the s; and s It dawned upon Jean that these dangerous shots were not accident They ell ai rustlers had so out the vulnerable places all along the front of the cabin If Jean had not been lying flat he would have been hit twice Presently he conceived the idea of driving pegs between the logs, high up, and, kneeling on these, he e of theBut this position ard and difficult to hold for long